When you go to the doctor and you feel some symptoms such as exhaustion, fatigue, general weakness and other symptoms of anemia, the doctor may ask you for a Ferritin analysis. What is this analysis and what are its normal and abnormal results? This is what you will know during this article.

What is Ferritin?

Some may confuse ferritin with iron, but they are not the same thing. Ferritin is the protein that is found in the blood and stores iron in the body. Measuring the level of ferritin is an indicator of the amount of iron in the blood, whether in its normal levels or in the event of a deficiency or excess.

What is Ferritin Analysis?

Ferritin analysis is also called Serum Ferritin analysis, and it is a blood test based on taking a blood sample and analyzing its ferritin levels, and the doctor may request it along with other tests to analyze the percentage of iron in the blood if he suspects iron deficiency or excess, both of which cause disease to the body.

Reasons for conducting a ferritin test

There are several cases in which ferritin analysis may be required, not just anemia, as follows:

Symptoms of ferritin deficiency or excess

There are several symptoms similar to the symptoms of anemia that may appear on you, and accordingly the doctor requests a ferritin analysis. Symptoms of ferritin deficiency in the blood include:

• Unexplained tiredness.
• continuous headache.
• general weakness.
• Vertigo.
• Ringing in the ear.
• hard breathing.
• Leg pain.

As for the increase in ferritin in the blood, its symptoms include:

• Feeling stomach pain.
• Heart palpitations or chest pains.
• joint pain
• Fatigue and weakness for no apparent reason.
• Decreased sexual desire.
• Weight loss.

Prepare for Ferritin Analysis

Some believe that ferritin analysis requires fasting, but this is not true most of the time. If you are going to do a ferritin analysis only, this may not require stopping any food or drink, but in the event of other examinations, the doctor may tell you the necessity of fasting in this case. Also, it is preferable to wear comfortable clothes with loose-fitting sleeves so that the blood sample can be taken easily.

How is ferritin analyzed?

Taking the sample usually takes a few minutes. The doctor or lab technician will clean the skin with alcohol around the area from which the sample will be drawn. Then he will put a needle into a vein to draw blood. He may also wrap a narrow band around your arm so he can show the vein. Then he will take a sample. After that, he will withdraw the needle and the blood will stop within a few minutes.

Are there risks during a ferritin test?

There are no risks in the known sense, but like all blood tests, it may have minor side effects that disappear within several minutes, such as:

• Feeling dizzy and fainting.
• A welt or bruise under the skin.
• Mild pain where the needle was placed.

Ferritin analysis results

The results usually appear after a few days or depending on the laboratory in which the analysis is carried out. Here are the normal rates as follows:

Normal ferritin analysis

• For men: 20 to 250 nanograms/milliliter.
• In women 18 to 39 years old: 10 to 120 nanograms/milliliter.
• In women 40 years of age or older: 12 to 263 nanograms/milliliter.
• In newborns: from 25 to 200 nanograms / milliliter.
• In children 5 months of age: 50 to 200 nanograms/milliliter.
• In children 6 months to 15 years: 7 to 140 nanograms/milliliter.

Ferritin analysis is high

In the event that the results are higher than the normal rates, this may mean that one of these conditions is present:

• Hyperthyroidism.
• Hemochromatosis.
• Liver disease.
• Inflammatory diseases.
• A type of cancer such as leukemia, lymphoma, or breast cancer.
• High ferritin levels may also occur if you are taking an iron supplement or have had a recent blood transfusion.

Low ferritin analysis

The decrease from normal rates occurs in the case of:

• Iron deficiency anemia.
• Taking antacids or non-steroidal anti-inflammatory drugs may cause a decrease in ferritin levels.

What affects the test result?

There are several things that may affect the result of the examination, including:

• Excessive eating of iron-rich foods such as meat, fiber-rich vegetables and legumes, and drinking plenty of milk.
• Take iron supplement pills.
• Donate blood regularly.
• Run long distances regularly.

Other tests that the doctor may order

There are several tests that the doctor may order in addition to analyzing ferritin levels, including:

• Iron tests to measure the proportion of iron and the transferrin protein, which transports ferritin into cells.
• Hemoglobin analysis to measure the number of red blood cells.
• Analysis of the hemochromatosis gene in the case of this genetic disease.
• Zinc protoporphyrin assay to measure iron deficiency or lead toxicity levels.

Ferritin analysis and its relationship to corona

As we mentioned, the ferritin analysis is an analysis that measures the percentage of stored iron in the blood, and this analysis was used with patients infected with the Corona virus in order to detect Covid 19, as research has shown that the Corona virus can lead to an increase in the level of ferritin in the blood.

It also proved that the height may vary depending on the severity and strength of the disease, and although the ferritin analysis can be used to detect the Covid 19 virus, more tests must be done with it in order to confirm the infection with corona, especially if the patient suffers from other health problems that may affect on the level of ferritin in the blood.

Finally, you should not worry about the doctor’s request to perform a Ferritin test, as it is a routine test that is often used to detect iron-induced anemia, and a deficiency in ferritin can be easily treated.