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Low Ferritin

bridee

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bridee Rookie
bridee
Posted

I was just wondering in an undiagnosed child how long would it take for ferritin levels decrease due to malabsorption?  My 5yr daughter recently had some blood tests which showed her ferritin was low (22).  Coeliac test was negative and vit d was normal.  My dad and brother both have coeliac so is something I am very conscious of.  My daugther is taking an iron supplement to increase ferritin.  Our GP believes the ferritin is low really just because... said may not be an explanation and he certainly doesn't believe it is because of coeliac.  But has agreed to redo blood tests in 3mths.  Just wondering if she does have coeliac is that enough time for the ferritin to have further decreased?

 

She does not have typical coeliac symptoms but does get unexplained blurred vision and headaches and we all know coeliac is rarely typical.

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1desperateladysaved Proficient
1desperateladysaved
Posted

My functional medicine nurse said that low iron levels are often a very early indicator of celiac.  I am curious about this and wonder if anyone has tried reversing it with diet.  It is hard when the antibody tests are negative.  I have a daughter that tested negative for celiac, but her ferritin level was 6.  If everyone in the family has the same diet, but some are low ferritin and some not, there must be other factors perhaps celiac.

 

If one is supplementing and it doesn't firmly go up; that may be an indication of mal-absorption too.  I am not sure whether ferritin levels in the undiagnosed continue going down over time in a consistent fashion.

bridee Rookie
bridee
Posted
  • Author

I have read in undiagnosed coeliacs iron supplement does not help restore iron levels.

kareng Grand Master
kareng
Posted

If you are supplementing with iron/ferritin - even in an undiagnosed Celiac, levels may not go down.  It may go up or remain the same.  The fact is, even with a damaged small intestine, some of the small intestine is not damaged.  It is "patchy" damage.  So, if 50% is damaged, that means that 50% is still working.  If you take a supplement of iron, you have a better chance that that good 50% has some iron to absorb.  

SMRI Collaborator
SMRI
Posted

My functional medicine nurse said that low iron levels are often a very early indicator of celiac.  I am curious about this and wonder if anyone has tried reversing it with diet.  It is hard when the antibody tests are negative.  I have a daughter that tested negative for celiac, but her ferritin level was 6.  If everyone in the family has the same diet, but some are low ferritin and some not, there must be other factors perhaps celiac.

 

If one is supplementing and it doesn't firmly go up; that may be an indication of mal-absorption too.  I am not sure whether ferritin levels in the undiagnosed continue going down over time in a consistent fashion.

 

That is interesting.  I've been hit or miss on the iron levels for years.  Sometimes it's fine, low normal but normal, other times it's just slightly below normal levels and I've been told to eat more red meat.  I've usually just written it off to an abnormally heavy cycle or whatever.  My levels in June were on the low end of normal again, 33 on a scale of 11-307, so not horribly low but still on the low end.  

cristiana Veteran
cristiana
Posted

Mine went up by over 10 points, I think it was, in three months, through supplementation before they knew I was coeliac.  I was taking some really heavy duty iron though.   I would agree with kareng - if the damage is patchy, some will still go in.  

cyclinglady Grand Master
cyclinglady
Posted

My ferritin started at a 2 and went to 55 with supplementation after my diagnosis. Prior to my dx, with supplementation, it would increase to, say 22. If I stopped the iron supplements, it dropped back to single digits. Anemia was my only known symptom at the time of my diagnosis.

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