Ferritin

Ferritin isn’t the same thing as iron in your body. Instea ferritin is a protein that stores iron, releasing it when your body needs it. It is the primary intracellular iron-storage protein in both prokaryotes and eukaryotes, keeping iron in a soluble and non-toxic form. Iron is stored in a protein called ferritin. And to see how much is stored in your body, your doctor might order a ferritin blood test.

Why Do I Need This Test?

Doctors order a ferritin test if. Stored iron represents about of total iron in the body, and most of this iron is stored as ferritin. A doctor may order a ferritin blood test, sometimes alongside other tests, to check a person’s iron levels. In this article, we discuss the.

The ferritin test is often ordered as part of a panel of tests that examine the levels of body iron and the effects of abnormalities in iron storage. What is the normal iron level? Serum ferritin level is the biochemical test, which most reliably correlates with relative total body iron stores. Classical ferritins consist of subunits configured as a polyhedron where iron is held in a hollow core.

The subunits include light and heavy chains, each with specific functions in the molecule.

Macrophages, including Kupffer cells, and hepatocytes have been demonstrated to secrete ferritin during in vitro studies, 3yet the precise source of the plasma protein remains uncertain. The small amount of ferritin that is released and circulates in the blood is a reflection of the total amount of iron stored in the body. This test measures the amount of ferritin in the blood. It can be described as a reservoir for iron and releases it whenever our body needs it.

If the ferritin level is high, the amount of iron in the blood may also be high. Anemia of chronic disease is the most frequent anemia in hospitalized patients. Whilst low serum ferritin levels invariably indicate reduced iron stores, raised serum ferritin levels can be due to multiple different aetiologies, including iron overloa inflammation, liver or renal disease, malignancy, and the recently described metabolic syndrome.

Red blood cells need iron to form normally and carry oxygen around your body. Other parts of your body, such as your liver, bone marrow, and muscles, also need iron. Low levels of ferritin lead to iron-deficiency anemia. A ferritin test helps your doctor understand how much iron your body stores.

As a result, you could be anemic. It is present in small concentrations in bloo and the serum ferritin concentration normally correlates well with total-body iron stores, making. Some ferritin is also present in the bloodstream, where it also binds iron and delivers it to some cells that need it. The ferritin in your body also plays important roles in inflammation and immunity in your body.

Low ferritin level is a strong sign of iron deficiency. This is dangerous in the sense that your body needs oxygen to survive. If your red blood cells lack iron, its purpose of transferring oxygen from the lungs to all parts of your body will be inhibited.

Iron also affects your metabolism, hormone production, growth, and development.

Containing about percent of iron, it resides in your cells with only a small amount traveling in your bloodstream. You will find the greatest amount of ferritin in your liver cells and immune system. As mentioned above, free iron that is absorbed by the body is toxic to cells. No iron, no oxygen. When the body has used its daily intake of iron, ferritin will take it and store it for a rainy day.

It will store it in your heart, lungs, pancreas and prostate.