High Iron, Normal Ferritin

[stsfut]

As subject implies, is it possible to experience iron overload symptoms/conditions, but ferritin always stays below 200? My serum iron, % is always way over the range but doctors never seemed concered because ferritin and hemoglobin are in range. I have had non-stop hormonal issues since age 21, now 27 on TRT and thyroid. I am a non-obese male.

 

[yerrag]

Do you have test values: ferritin, tibc, and serum iron?

 

[stsfut]

Ferritin 133

 

[yerrag]

Your serum iron is above range. Iron saturation above range. And your transferrin saturation is at 42%, which is above the range of 30-40%. They seem to indicate iron overload, but as you say, your ferritin if normal.

I can understand your concern now. This seems like a special case. Because your ferritin is normal, even with the other markers showing iron overload, it isn't considered hemachromatosis, if you follow the books.

Were you instructed to avoid iron supplements and iron rich food before taking iron tests?

 

[Mito]

https://chrismasterjohnphd.com/2017/01/27/need-manage-iron-status/

“On the full iron panel you want your transferrin saturation to be between 30% and 40%, probably your ferritin between 60 and 150 in American units.”

“So let’s compare ferritin and transferrin saturation here. In terms of sensitivity, the reason that ferritin increases in response to too much iron status is because on a mechanistic level, elevated transferrin saturation communicates through HFE to hepcidin to downregulate iron absorption and to increase storage of iron and ferritin. So transferrin saturation is much more sensitive than ferritin is because transferrin saturation is the cause of ferritin elevating in response to too much iron, and that’s consistent with my own story where my transferrin saturation was going out of the reference range while my ferritin was way, way, way within it. In fact, when ferritin is used to diagnose hemochromatosis, then it may be the case that they won’t recommend that you get a liver biopsy until your ferritin reaches 1000 nanograms per milliliter, and you could probably catch all of those people with hemochromatosis if you just screened everyone who has transferrin saturation over 45%.

 

[stsfut]

So after reading that, I could benefit from giving blood even though ferritin is fine?

 

[Mito]

So after reading that, I could benefit from giving blood even though ferritin is fine?

That was Chris Masterjohn’s personal experience and he does have the gene mutation that is associated with hemochromatosis. He believes that high iron saturation is a leading indicator of iron overload and that eventually ferritin will rise above the normal range given high saturation.

 

[yerrag]

That was Chris Masterjohn’s personal experience and he does have the gene mutation that is associated with hemochromatosis. He believes that high iron saturation is a leading indicator of iron overload and that eventually ferritin will rise above the normal range given high saturation.

This is interesting. Thanks!

 

[Lurker]

I’m in the same boat on my latest test. It wasn’t a full panel, just ferritin and serum iron so I don’t have further details. My previous tests have been the other way with elevated ferritin and normal iron so this is weird. I have been giving blood regularly so the ferritin is half of what it was last year. The high serum is the confusing part now. Iron accumulates with aging so venesection seems like a good healthy strategy.