Iron is one of the most essential nutrients that our body requires to stay healthy. However, as the stress and workload amongst people is on its exponential rise – they often overlook the importance of maintaining the nutrition levels of the boy. Therefore, consumption of vital nutrients like iron is not on the priority list of many, and hence the medical conditions because of the deficiency of the same are quite prevalent today.
Getting a ferritin test at regular intervals ensures that one is well-aware of the iron levels of their body. Ferritin is one of the major proteins that are responsible for storing iron in the body and releasing it as per the needs. Ferritin is majorly present in the liver of the body. However, it is also present in small amounts at sites like the bone marrow and skeletal muscles. When the body is not provided with enough amounts of iron levels, the creation of ferritin goes down significantly.
Ferritin Test: A Brief
The ferritin test is used to evaluate the iron levels in a person’s body. it is a simple blood test that evaluates the ferritin levels of the body, which helps medical professionals to figure out if the iron levels of the body are abnormal or not. Both extremely high and extremely low ferritin levels are considered unhealthy for the body.
The formation of red blood cells depends highly upon the iron levels of the body. Since the body is incapable of producing iron on its own, its presence in the body relies heavily on iron-rich food consumed by the person. Low ferritin levels for a long time can lead to medical conditions such as anemia, and high ferritin levels may lead to various heart diseases and diabetes.
When to Get a Ferritin Test?
Everyone should get a serum ferritin test at regular intervals. This is because even though one’s body might be producing abnormal levels of ferritin, the obvious symptoms of the same are not observable in the earlier stages. However, there are few symptoms to look out for that point to such abnormal ferritin production in the body.
If there is an abnormally low level of ferritins in the body, the symptoms can include:
- The person is tired all the time.
- The person is experiencing continuous headaches and feels dizziness.
- Weakness and pale skin also indicate to the person producing low levels of ferritin.
If there is an abnormally high level of ferritin in the body, the symptoms can include:
- The person is experiencing pain in the joint area and abdomen.
- The person feels weak and has drastically lost weight.
- Fatigue and headache prevail for a long duration.
- Damage to organs also implies that the person has way too high ferritin levels in the body.
Preparing for Serum Ferritin Test
The preparations to be done before getting the serum ferritin test depend majorly on the instructions provided by the doctor. In most cases, the doctor advises one of the following:
- Only ferritin blood test: if a person visits a pathology lab only to get their ferritin levels tested, there is no foundation in terms of consuming food. One can eat and drink normally even before the tests.
- More than ferritin blood test: if a person visits a pathology lab to get several other tests done and the ferritin test just happens to be one of them, the doctor may advise fasting for a small duration of time before taking the test.
Results of Ferritin Blood Test
The ferritin test is done to check if the body has a normal level of iron or not. The ideal result for this test varies for men and women. In general, healthy results of the ferritin blood test are as follows:
- For men, the result of 20 to 500ng/mL is considered normal.
- For women, the result of 20 to 200ng/mL is considered normal.
Test Results: Low Ferritin Levels
The low ferritin level in the body points to iron deficiency of the body. The reasons for this result can range from heavy menstrual bleeding or internal bleeding to underlying stomach conditions.
Test Results: High Ferritin Levels
High ferritin levels in the body may imply the condition of an iron overdose in the body. Even though this condition is not to be confirmed simply by a ferritin test, it is surely an efficient preliminary test for the same. The reason for this result can be anything from iron poisoning to obesity. Medical conditions in the liver or blood may also give rise to this condition.
Conclusion
Since the ferritin test is considered a good preliminary test for diagnosing multiple serious medical conditions, it is a wise decision to get one done at regular intervals. One should not wait for the symptoms of a certain medical condition to show up to go and get the serum ferritin test done as detecting them at their early stages help in efficient treatment.
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