What does a serum ferritin level indicate?

Ferritin is a blood protein that contains iron. A ferritin test helps your doctor understand how much iron your body stores. If a ferritin test reveals that your blood ferritin level is lower than normal, it indicates your body’s iron stores are low and you have iron deficiency. As a result, you could be anemic.

What causes high serum ferritin?

The most common causes of elevated ferritin levels are obesity, inflammation, and daily alcohol intake. The most common causes of genetic-related elevated ferritin levels is the condition hemochromatosis.

What cancers cause elevated ferritin levels?

In addition to breast cancer, the serum ferritin level has also been found to be elevated in patients with lung cancer, pancreatic cancer, hepatocellular carcinoma, colorectal cancer, leukemia, and lymphoma, and the level was closely associated with the prognosis.

What inflammation causes high ferritin?

1) Chronic Disease and Inflammation Ferritin is an acute phase reactant and a marker of acute and chronic inflammation. It is elevated in a wide range of inflammatory conditions, including chronic kidney disease, rheumatoid arthritis, and other autoimmune disorders, acute infections, and cancer [1, 2].

Is the serum ferritin protein benign or toxic?

The protein in serum ferritin is considered benign, but it has lost (i.e. dumped) most of its normal complement of iron which when unliganded is highly toxic. The facts that serum ferritin levels can correlate with both disease and with body iron stores are thus expected on simple chemical kinetic grounds.

How to prepare for a ferritin blood test?

How you prepare. If your blood sample is being tested only for ferritin, you can eat and drink normally before the test. If your blood sample will be used for other tests, you might need to fast for a time before the test. Your doctor will instruct you.

Why do red blood cells need to have ferritin?

Ferritin is a protein that stores iron. Red blood cells need iron to form normally and carry oxygen around your body. Other parts of your body, such as your liver, bone marrow, and muscles, also need iron. Low levels of ferritin lead to iron-deficiency anemia. This means you have too few red blood cells.

Why does transferrin carry ferritin in the body?

Transferrin carries ferritin to replenish the iron to form new red blood cells. The body needs to have a normal store of ferritin that will be used by the body from time to time. Does Ferritin have an alternative name? Yes, ferritin is also known as serum ferritin. What is a Ferritin test?