Ferritin levels normal range

Ferritin is a protein in the body, especially found in the bone marrow, spleen, skeletal muscles, and liver. It is responsible for storing iron in the cells. By binding with iron, ferritin is responsible for decreasing the toxicity of iron. This protein enables the transportation of iron to the parts of the body which require iron. The protein binds with non ferrous iron in the body and deposits this iron in a ferric state, thus providing an adequate amount of iron whenever needed.

About the Ferritin Test

Normal levels of ferritin are expected in patients who are completely healthy, while low and high amounts of ferritin both suggest there is something wrong going on and the body is suffering from a disorder or disease. A ferritin test is a very useful way to determine the level of iron present in the human body, and doctors use this test in people with symptoms of anemia or hemochromatosis.

To check the level of ferritin in your blood, your doctor or nurse practitioner will take a blood sample by inserting a needle into a vein. This blood sample will then be tested in a laboratory. This test is one of the safest tests there are, and people should not be afraid or worried about it. There are very few risks involved in ferritin test.

Some patients may have trouble when it comes to giving blood samples, especially if their veins are hardly visible or very small in size. Other problems that rarely occur are excessive bleeding after giving blood samples or accumulation of blood under the skin. In an extremely small number of cases, patients may experience infection because of the puncture spot on the skin. Although highly unlikely, people may experience lightheadedness or even fainting because of a ferritin test. If you are anxious or afraid of needles, let your doctor know in advance, and they will try their best to minimize your stress.

Ferritin Levels – Normal, Low and High

How much ferritin is normal depends on your gender and age.

For adult men, the normal ferritin level is somewhere between 12 and 300 ng/mL (nanograms per milliliter), while adult women may expect their ferritin to be from 12 to 150 ng/mL. The ferritin level for children depends on the age group, so if they are 1 to 5 years old, their ferritin should be 6 to 24 ng/mL. For children between 5 and 9 years of age, the ferritin test should show 10 to 55 ng of ferritin per mL, while children older than 9 years of age should have up to 200 ng/mL of ferritin.

If the result of your ferritin test shows a value lower than the normal range, you do not have a sufficient amount of iron in your body. This situation might come about because of heavy menstruation and pregnancy in women. Iron deficiency anemia, any source of internal bleeding in the body (hemorrhoids, ulcers, digestive tract bleeding, etc.), colon cancer or even psoriasis are other possible causes of low ferritin levels.

Abormally high levels of ferritin may, on the other hand, be caused by arthritis, blood transfusions, inflammatory conditions, alcoholism, thalassemia, leukemia, liver or Hodgkin’s diseases or hemochromatosis.