Test Iron Stores (Ferritin) Last updated: Jul 22, 2008

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  Test Iron Stores (Ferritin)  
 

 

 
 

Serum ferritin is the most practical diagnostic blood test for determining iron stores and is usually sufficient for that purpose.<>

 
 

Test Iron Stores (Ferritin) can help with the following:
 
 
Circulation  Anemia (Iron deficiency)

Nutrients
  Iron Requirement

Skin-Hair-Nails
  Female Hair Loss
 Iron deficiency can cause hair loss in women. Laboratory evidence of such a deficiency may show up on a complete blood count, serum iron or serum ferritin.

Uro-Genital
  Menorrhagia (Heavy Periods)
 Consistently excessive blood loss will result in a negative iron balance which will result in lowered serum ferritin levels. Iron deficiency is a cause as well as consequence of menorrhagia. Body stores of iron are best reflected by serum ferritin. Ferritin levels will drop before changes in the blood count begin. Anemia may not yet be present when serum ferritin levels are getting low.
 
 


KEY
May do some good
Likely to help
Highly recommended

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GLOSSARY

Iron:  An essential mineral. Prevents anemia: as a constituent of hemoglobin, transports oxygen throughout the body. Virtually all of the oxygen used by cells in the life process are brought to the cells by the hemoglobin of red blood cells. Iron is a small but most vital, component of the hemoglobin in 20,000 billion red blood cells, of which 115 million are formed every minute. Heme iron (from meat) is absorbed 10 times more readily than the ferrous or ferric form.

Serum:  The cell-free fluid of the bloodstream. It appears in a test tube after the blood clots and is often used in expressions relating to the levels of certain compounds in the blood stream.