Strange Ferritin and Iron Results - Concerned

August 14, 2010

Hi Everyone,

I'm posting this on behalf of a friend who is male, nearly 28 years old and

symptoms he complains of most include fatigue/tiredness, need for frequent naps,

feeling VERY tired as a reaction to normal stresses at work (he specifically

complained of this symptom in detail), lack of motivation to due things (he also

specifically complained of this - it is abnormal for him to not have the

motivation to do things he really wants to do), anxiety and worry (general -

especially at work - I have also noticed high anxiety around around his family

and friends), flat mood but not sad (he said he didn't know what depression felt

like but didn't think he had it), cold feet - unable to warm then (also

specifically complained about). I also went through the STTM list of hypothyroid

symptoms with him - many of them he said he experienced sometimes but not all

the time so he didn't think it was a problem (I used to think like that about my

symptoms too).

This is the first time he's had his TSH and free T4 tested - he has never been

diagnosed with a thyroid problem.

In the past, he has experienced hair loss (he is going quite bald at age 28 - it

started when he was quite young) and a very bad red, non itchy, rash that

covered almost his whole body at one point - noone could tell him what it was -

he tried avoiding clothing that might cause a reaction and then stopped eating

gluten which helped get rid of the rash to a noticeable level but it still comes

up occassionally in some places (like where rubbing occurs) and he is eating

gluten again 'ok' now - I gather gluten intolerance is likely.

He has just recovered from very bad flu (influenza, not a cold)for which he was

given anti-viral medication for - it caused bad aches and pains, vomiting etc.

His doctor ran HEAPS of blood tests but only gave him copies of the ones that

were out of the normal range :S He is requesting a copy of the rest. B12 was

tested but normal - I suspect it is non-optimal.

Here are the ones that he felt were of concern:

TSH: 0.3 mU/L (0.4-4)

(I worry about RT3, Low Cortisol and even Hashimotos with this. What do you

think?)

Free T4: 15 pmol/L (10-20)

(Seems quite low for a TSH of 0.3)

Serum Iron: 3 umol/L (10-33)VERY LOW

Transferin IBC: 48 umol/L (45-70)

Transferin Saturation: 6% (16-50) VERY LOW

Serum Ferritin Assay: 646 ug/Æ (20-320) VERY HIGH

What could cause his ferritin to be so high but his iron to be so low? He is

being tested for an internal bleed which I am very worried about.

Could his low iron levels be causing problems with his thyroid function and vice

versa?

Thank you for your help.

Alana

August 15, 2010

That ferritin is dangerously high. Has he been tested for hemochromatosis? It

is not the only cause of high ferritin but it should be tested for. More info

on interpreting iron labs here:

http://www.labtestsonline.org/understanding/analytes/ferritin/test.html

About two-thirds down the page is a section called " What Does The Test Result

Mean? " , with excellent information on ferritin, here's an excerpt:

" Ferritin levels are low in people who have iron deficiency and are elevated in

those with hemochromatosis and other excess iron storage disorders and in those

who have had multiple blood transfusions.

Ferritin is an acute phase reactant and thus may be increased in people with

inflammation, liver disease, chronic infection, autoimmune disorders, and some

types of cancer. Ferritin is not typically used to detect or monitor these

conditions. "

>

> Hi Everyone,

>

> I'm posting this on behalf of a friend who is male, nearly 28 years old and