Ferritin

What a high result can mean

A high ferritin can reflect inflammation anywhere in the body, liver problems, heavy alcohol use, frequent transfusions, or an inherited condition that makes the body absorb too much iron. Ferritin rises during infection and inflammation even when iron stores are normal, so a single high number on its own often needs a repeat test once you are well.

What a low result can mean

A low ferritin usually means iron stores are running down. Common reasons include heavy periods, pregnancy, a diet low in iron, poor absorption from conditions such as coeliac disease, or slow blood loss from the gut. Low iron stores can leave you tired, short of breath on stairs, or unusually cold before a standard haemoglobin test ever looks abnormal.

What commonly affects this result

Recent infection or inflammation, alcohol in the days before the test, iron supplements, a recent blood donation, pregnancy, and menstruation timing.

Questions worth asking your doctor

• Is my ferritin low enough to explain how I have been feeling?
• Should we look for a reason I am losing iron, rather than only replacing it?
• If inflammation could be raising this number, should we repeat it when I am well?