Ferritin Levels

[Peta]

I did have a ridiculously long post written but then deleted it because I realise that I would be better off just asking the questions I needed to know (instead of a life story )....

10 yr old boys FERRITIN level 19 (normal range 7-150). Although he is classed in 'normal range' could he still be considered Anemic?

His white cell count and lymphocytes are just below normal range.

So despite his negative celiac panel, these other tests combined with many symptoms could indicate Celiac couldnt they? Just want to be armed with information incase doctor tries to dismiss Celiac because of celiac panel being negative.

I REALLY appreciate those who take time to answer my posts. Your time is not wasted because I really value every bit of information you can pass on.

Thankyou,

Peta

[flagbabyds]

for ferritin normal ranges are from are from 45-150 not 7-150 cause mine is 7 and that is NOT normal at all.

it could indicate celiac, has he been tested before?

[Michelle M...]

Your son's ferritin level is too low. Most people would feel unwell at this level with fatigue, hair loss, etc... Some doctors advocate supplemental iron when ferritin levels fall below 50. The ferritin levels are the iron stores in the body. From what I understand, once those fall low enough, then "laboratory signs of anemia" usually show up as low hemoglobin (sp?) and hematocrit - earning the true medical diagnosis of anemia. However, many people feel and show symptoms of anemia long before that happens (once ferritin levels are low enough even if still in "normal range"). Sounds like a lot of doctors never test ferritin so it's good you have this result to work with.

In terms of Celiac/Gluten Sensitivity - anemia/low ferritin can be a sign. However, it can also be a sign of other problems (poor iron intake, other malabsorption problems, internal blood loss, etc..). I'm new to this so hopefully others with experience will offer some perspective.

M.

[2Boys4Me]

Maybe that's his hemoglobin level?

I confess I don't know the difference between ferritin and hemoglobin, but they're both iron of some kind.

When Ty was first tested they said the level should be between 10 - 110 for a boy of 5, and his was 3.

I only know they tested for iron, and he went on 5mg liquid iron daily for a month and the level only went up to 4. Then he was on 10mg daily for 4 months and then he was tested for Celiac.

[nikki-uk]

I confess I don't know the difference between ferritin and hemoglobin, but they're both iron of some kind.

The way I understand it is you do not need to be anaemic (haemogloblobin) to have low a ferritin score.

Ferritin is like a back-up store for iron - so if you are not absorbing iron your body takes from the Ferritin store (sounds like a shop! )

Over time if your body consistently needs to take from the Ferritin store to keep iron levels up, - it will run low - and it's at this point you become anaemic.

This is of course just my take on it - but it makes sense to me!

Low Ferritin store could mean you are not absorbing adequate iron and may be an indicator of malabsorption.

[2Boys4Me]

Thanks for the lesson Nikki!

[Ursa Major]

When my ferretin level was down to 4 a few years ago, my hemoglobin was still fairly normal (120). But I had all the signs of classic anemia anyway, which were extreme fatigue, weakness (some days my legs wouldn't hold me up, and I had to stay in bed), constant blue lips, paleness, racing heart and others I don't remember. So, you can have obvious signs of anemia with low ferretin, even if you're not 'officially' anemic yet.

For many people anemia (or low ferretin anyway) is the ONLY obvious symptom of celiac disease. And if he has other symptoms indicative of celiac disease, I would insist on testing, or just put him on the diet and do Enterolab testing.

[DingoGirl]

Nikki is correct, the Ferritin is the STORED iron in the body, the reserves. I am seeing a disparity in the "normal" ranges - - from what I have read, and what my GI told me, the normal range is 15 to 250 ( and why such a huge range I have no idea). Mine, at diagnosis last year, was 2. I cannot describe my level of exhaustion. At the six-month mark, it was up to 9.

Nineteen would seem to be okay - - are we sure that's the ferritin level, and not hemoglobin?

[Ursa Major]

Here in Canada the normal range is from 40 to 300. And every time my ferritin would drop below 20, I'd be terribly weak and unable to do anything. Now it has gone up to 105 and I don't have to worry about it any more.

[Felidae]

Also, in Canada, but from a different lab 12-300 is considered the normal Ferritin range. There seems to be quite a disparity in the normal ranges, as someone above already posted.

[rez]

Funny that this thread came up as my son's celiac panel was positive and our doctor, we have an AWESOME one, also ran tests looking for anemia and thyroid issues. They all seem so related. My son's ferritin was a 33 and the range for him was 28-365, considered normal. There IS NOT a standard range that's normal for ferritin. It totally depends on the individual and is measured by age, size, and sex. All the ranges are different. I would love anyone who knows more about this to post. My husband's doctor told him three years ago that he was borderline anemic. Now, a different doctor ran the test and said he was fine. I don't think he looked at his Ferritin level though. I don't know who to trust anymore and I don't know if they're running the right tests. I feel junky every day. Freezing cold, achy, dead tired, my hair comes out in big balls in the shower, constipated, and I feel sluggish. I really think it could be my iron or thyroid. My son will be scoped in a few weeks to see if he really does have Celiac. My daughter was just diagnosed Hypothyroid. This is all such a mess!!!!!! I feel your pain. My whole family is having issues and I can't wait to get to the bottom of them all.

[rez]

for ferritin normal ranges are from are from 45-150 not 7-150 cause mine is 7 and that is NOT normal at all.

it could indicate celiac, has he been tested before?

The range is different for everyone. There is not a standard set of numbers that is normal for all.

[Michelle M...]

Per Dr. Teitlebaum (leading Fibromyalgia/Chronic Fatigue specialist - not a GI doc):

Iron deficiency will often be present even if the blood tests are technically normal. This is because the blood test

[susan751]

Hi,

I have a question maybe some of you can answer. My husband's ferritin was very low last year (16 with the normal 33-266). His Iron, Transferrin, Hemoglobin, and Hemocrit were normal.

He's a big time runner and long-term vegetarian, so we assumed this is the reason for the low ferritin, so he started taking iron supplements.

A month ago, a friend convinced him that the cause might be celiac or gluten sensitivity, and he stopped the supplement and has been mostly gluten free since then. He just had a blood test and the ferritin was up to 51 (normal 33-266). Now this friend is convinced it is the gluten-free month that is responsible for the change (unfortunately he didn't get a blood test before going gluten-free). I'm a bit more skeptical -- that seems like a big jump in 1 month, and think it's more likley the year of supplements the caused the jump.

Any opinions or advice as to where to go from here and what his next moves should be? (His only celiac related symptom before this month was tiredness, which he feels has improved beng gluten-free.)

[Avril Perridge]

I wonder if anyone can help please... I have been told that my ferritin levels were low (27) 6 weeks ago and was told to take an iron supplement.  I have since had my blood re-checked and my ferritin levels have dropped again (19) I'm still on iron supplements and about to go on to max strength ones on Monday.  I have done a home testing kit for coeliac but it has come back negative.  I have suffered from IBS symptoms for the last few years.  Recently I have developed painful ulcers (which appear every other day)  which my Dr has told me are cankers.  I have read the symptoms of this disease and I seem to fit most of them. 

[Ennis-TX]

2 hours ago, Avril Perridge said:

I wonder if anyone can help please... I have been told that my ferritin levels were low (27) 6 weeks ago and was told to take an iron supplement.  I have since had my blood re-checked and my ferritin levels have dropped again (19) I'm still on iron supplements and about to go on to max strength ones on Monday.  I have done a home testing kit for coeliac but it has come back negative.  I have suffered from IBS symptoms for the last few years.  Recently I have developed painful ulcers (which appear every other day)  which my Dr has told me are cankers.  I have read the symptoms of this disease and I seem to fit most of them. 

You should probably have your doctor run a full blood panel for celiac if you want to be tested right, followed by a endoscope and biopsy. The blood test can give false negatives, and you have to be eating gluten for at least 12 weeks daily for the test.

On the ferritin levels, mine was consistently 1-3 on every test even with 2x the normal dose of iron. I found I had to take it with vitamins C supplements to boost it a bit along with managing a few other nutrients that work in combination with it. Seems mine is in part due to constant intestinal inflammation caused by my UC and bleeding ulcers.

[ironictruth]

On 1/31/2007 at 10:01 AM, susan751 said:

Hi,

I have a question maybe some of you can answer. My husband's ferritin was very low last year (16 with the normal 33-266). His Iron, Transferrin, Hemoglobin, and Hemocrit were normal.

 

He's a big time runner and long-term vegetarian, so we assumed this is the reason for the low ferritin, so he started taking iron supplements.

 

A month ago, a friend convinced him that the cause might be celiac or gluten sensitivity, and he stopped the supplement and has been mostly gluten free since then. He just had a blood test and the ferritin was up to 51 (normal 33-266). Now this friend is convinced it is the gluten-free month that is responsible for the change (unfortunately he didn't get a blood test before going gluten-free). I'm a bit more skeptical -- that seems like a big jump in 1 month, and think it's more likley the year of supplements the caused the jump.

 

Any opinions or advice as to where to go from here and what his next moves should be? (His only celiac related symptom before this month was tiredness, which he feels has improved beng gluten-free.)

Does he run a lot? On hard ground? My ferritin started at 74 and is now 20. My rbc count was normal but showed mild anemia after an 18 hour fast. 

 I initially also thought it might be due to malabsorption, and it may be, although my gut doesn't show a ton of damage. Coincidentally I started running around  all of this, with A 6 month break in between, and have also recently read that Runners Who log a lot of miles generally are pretty low on ferritin if they don't supplement.  I only do between 6-15 Miles per week.  I eAt a mixed green salad about 5 times a week, red meat a couple times a week, and then a lot of other high iron foods.

 lamb stew is a tremendous source of iron, as well as mussels. I am a big fan of garden lights chocolate zucchini muffins as well each mini muffin contains 20% of the daily value.  I Like to eat Two for breakfast with my coffee.

 if he stopped eating gluten about a month ago you might still be able to get the blood test done. I'm sure you have read by now that you need to be eating gluten to be tested.  antibody start falling Right away but for some people it takes a long time. 

 I'm not a doctor but I would think that if you have enough damage to mal absorb iron then it would take a lot longer than just 4 weeks for you to  fix that kind of damage And reabsorb it again.

 

 did they order a total iron binding capacity?  and was the iron panel done while fasting? You don't really need to fast for a ferritin but serum Iron can easily be elevated With food.

 Although symptoms vary depending on the individual I have read quite a bit online that When ferritin drops below 40 people can start getting symptomaTic.  so you are likely correct that his feeling better is related to his ferritin level increasing.

 giving up gluten means giving up certain nutrients as well. So if he's already vegetarian he needs to really pay close attention to what nutrients he might be missing in his diet now if he's giving up whole grains.

 

[Ennis-TX]

22 minutes ago, ironictruth said:

Does he run a lot? On hard ground? My ferritin started at 74 and is now 20. My rbc count was normal but showed mild anemia after an 18 hour fast. 

 I initially also thought it might be due to malabsorption, and it may be, although my gut doesn't show a ton of damage. Coincidentally I started running around  all of this, with A 6 month break in between, and have also recently read that Runners Who log a lot of miles generally are pretty low on ferritin if they don't supplement.  I only do between 6-15 Miles per week.  I eAt a mixed green salad about 5 times a week, red meat a couple times a week, and then a lot of other high iron foods.

 lamb stew is a tremendous source of iron, as well as mussels. I am a big fan of garden lights chocolate zucchini muffins as well each mini muffin contains 20% of the daily value.  I Like to eat Two for breakfast with my coffee.

 if he stopped eating gluten about a month ago you might still be able to get the blood test done. I'm sure you have read by now that you need to be eating gluten to be tested.  antibody start falling Right away but for some people it takes a long time. 

 I'm not a doctor but I would think that if you have enough damage to mal absorb iron then it would take a lot longer than just 4 weeks for you to  fix that kind of damage And reabsorb it again.

 

 did they order a total iron binding capacity?  and was the iron panel done while fasting? You don't really need to fast for a ferritin but serum Iron can easily be elevated With food.

 Although symptoms vary depending on the individual I have read quite a bit online that When ferritin drops below 40 people can start getting symptomaTic.  so you are likely correct that his feeling better is related to his ferritin level increasing.

 giving up gluten means giving up certain nutrients as well. So if he's already vegetarian he needs to really pay close attention to what nutrients he might be missing in his diet now if he's giving up whole grains.

 

While informative.....you just responded to a post from 10 years ago.....

[cyclinglady]

19 minutes ago, ironictruth said:

Does he run a lot? On hard ground? My ferritin started at 74 and is now 20. My rbc count was normal but showed mild anemia after an 18 hour fast. 

 I initially also thought it might be due to malabsorption, and it may be, although my gut doesn't show a ton of damage. Coincidentally I started running around  all of this, with A 6 month break in between, and have also recently read that Runners Who log a lot of miles generally are pretty low on ferritin if they don't supplement.  I only do between 6-15 Miles per week.  I eAt a mixed green salad about 5 times a week, red meat a couple times a week, and then a lot of other high iron foods.

 lamb stew is a tremendous source of iron, as well as mussels. I am a big fan of garden lights chocolate zucchini muffins as well each mini muffin contains 20% of the daily value.  I Like to eat Two for breakfast with my coffee.

 if he stopped eating gluten about a month ago you might still be able to get the blood test done. I'm sure you have read by now that you need to be eating gluten to be tested.  antibody start falling Right away but for some people it takes a long time. 

 I'm not a doctor but I would think that if you have enough damage to mal absorb iron then it would take a lot longer than just 4 weeks for you to  fix that kind of damage And reabsorb it again.

 

 did they order a total iron binding capacity?  and was the iron panel done while fasting? You don't really need to fast for a ferritin but serum Iron can easily be elevated With food.

 Although symptoms vary depending on the individual I have read quite a bit online that When ferritin drops below 40 people can start getting symptomaTic.  so you are likely correct that his feeling better is related to his ferritin level increasing.

 giving up gluten means giving up certain nutrients as well. So if he's already vegetarian he needs to really pay close attention to what nutrients he might be missing in his diet now if he's giving up whole grains.

 

I contemplated "heel strike" but nah.....it was celiac disease/malabsorption.  I am still running and my ferritin is nice and normal now.    It resolved within three or four months of a gluten-free diet and some iron.  I also ran a 1/2 marathon despite it being a 2 (pre-diagnosis) and a few century rides.   I think you might need to worry if your hemoglobin dramatically drops.  My docs were always asking if I wanted a blood transfusion.  Amazing how the body adapts.  My Thalassemia tends to keep my hemoglobin just below range.  The drops in ferritin caused it to plummet.  Had a hard time catching my breath!  

 I probably asked this, but has Crohn's been ruled out?  My niece went to 4 different GI's.  celiac disease was ruled out, but a pill camera revealed Crohn's damage at the end of her small intestine finally.  

 

[cyclinglady]

5 minutes ago, Ennis_TX said:

While informative.....you just responded to a post from 10 years ago.....

Dang, Ennis.  You rock!  Ironic and I must be near brain dead.  Did I mention that school is out today!!!!!!  I feel so sleep deprived!  S U M M E R! 

[ironictruth]

9 hours ago, cyclinglady said:

Dang, Ennis.  You rock!  Ironic and I must be near brain dead.  Did I mention that school is out today!!!!!!  I feel so sleep deprived!  S U M M E R! 

Lol!!!  Well what the heck. I'm not entirely sure how the message boards figure out the algorithm sometimes.

 however, the Advice was totally informative and I appreciate it! 

 I am a bit nervous about taking iron so I was thinking I would take a safe dose maybe every other day or so for a little while  and ask my doctor To rerun the panel.  a friend of mine is a PA and she told me thE amount I can safely take.  I just hope my doc will be receptive to Re-running it because he told me the labs were within normal range Because the cutoff for ferritin was 13 and mine was 20.  I have no idea why they ran it a year-and-a-half ago because I didn't ask and I wasn't feeling crummy but during the first gluten challenge they did an iron panel and that's when it was in the 70s.  so I figure adding a bit more iron to my Already decent diet isn't going to hurt too much. 

 I did ask my primary care if it would be typical for somebody with a completely normal hemoglobin and red blood cell count to go anemic with an 18 hours of fasting.  it was mild anemia wasn't severe obviously. I had a procedure done while I was in the hospital and you can watch my red blood cell count and hemoglobin drop while I was fasting.  because they seem to Draw a CBC Like every 5 minutes in the hospital. 

 I was told after having a colonoscopy that Crohn's was ruled out.  Of course I was told a lot of things! 

 I admire how active you are.  I would love to be able to get up to a half marathon. I gave up exercising for 6 months last year to see if anything would help but it didn't so I just got back into it probably sometime in February. There are days when I really don't feel well and I'm not able to but there are days where I feel pretty good.

[kareng]

People are able to find a very old topic and add to it (bumping it up to current).  We need to remember to check the dates and realize that these people from 10 years ago may not respond.  Also, remember that product info, ma be even medical info, can change in that amount of time.

[ironictruth]

1 hour ago, kareng said:

People are able to find a very old topic and add to it (bumping it up to current).  We need to remember to check the dates and realize that these people from 10 years ago may not respond.  Also, remember that product info, ma be even medical info, can change in that amount of time.

 bummer. I was kind Of invested in finding out what was going to happen with the vegetarian running husband.

[cyclinglady]

4 hours ago, ironictruth said:

Lol!!!  Well what the heck. I'm not entirely sure how the message boards figure out the algorithm sometimes.

 however, the Advice was totally informative and I appreciate it! 

 I am a bit nervous about taking iron so I was thinking I would take a safe dose maybe every other day or so for a little while  and ask my doctor To rerun the panel.  a friend of mine is a PA and she told me thE amount I can safely take.  I just hope my doc will be receptive to Re-running it because he told me the labs were within normal range Because the cutoff for ferritin was 13 and mine was 20.  I have no idea why they ran it a year-and-a-half ago because I didn't ask and I wasn't feeling crummy but during the first gluten challenge they did an iron panel and that's when it was in the 70s.  so I figure adding a bit more iron to my Already decent diet isn't going to hurt too much. 

 I did ask my primary care if it would be typical for somebody with a completely normal hemoglobin and red blood cell count to go anemic with an 18 hours of fasting.  it was mild anemia wasn't severe obviously. I had a procedure done while I was in the hospital and you can watch my red blood cell count and hemoglobin drop while I was fasting.  because they seem to Draw a CBC Like every 5 minutes in the hospital. 

 I was told after having a colonoscopy that Crohn's was ruled out.  Of course I was told a lot of things! 

 I admire how active you are.  I would love to be able to get up to a half marathon. I gave up exercising for 6 months last year to see if anything would help but it didn't so I just got back into it probably sometime in February. There are days when I really don't feel well and I'm not able to but there are days where I feel pretty good.

I ran that one 1/2 marathon when I turned 50.  It was my first and last.  When I finish a century bike ride (100 miles), I have  noticed maybe one or two people at the first aid booth at the end of every ride.  At the end of the marathon, at the first aid area, people were laying on the ground with ice bags on their knees.  Literally, it was like a scene from "Gone with the Wind".  I realized that these people were nuts!  Damaging their bodies!  How crazy is that?  The risk for injury seems so much higher in running.  But I still run.  I crosstrain.  I did Triathlons back in my 40's.  I listen to the old folks swimmming in the community pool.  They have their original knees while their tennis-loving, marathon friends have artificial knees.  So, the old "everything in moderation" seems to be true.  I am sure their would be a lot less people icing their knees had they trained effectively.  But so many do not. 

My niece had several scopes over the course of four years.  That pill camera nailed it.  She did not even have classic Crohn's symptoms.  I though for sure celiac disease or a non-functioning gallbladder (a family curse), but I was wrong.  I guess I am not a doctor!  Ha!  None of here are doctors (maybe 1 or 2 lurking about), but doctors make mistakes.  We just have to be our own health advocates.  

[ironictruth]

I could not agree more!