Ferritin

This test measures the amount of ferritin in blood.

Ferritin levels provide a better picture of the amount of iron stored in the body, regardless of recent diet or other factors.

Ferritin is a protein present mainly in the liver and bone marrow that is used to store iron. However, a small amount of ferritin is also found in the blood. The amount of ferritin in blood is a measure of the amount of ferritin (and therefore the amount of iron) in the liver and bone marrow.

Iron is needed for the production of red blood cells (hemoglobin) in the bone marrow. If the body has too little iron, it will first use up the reserve supply in the form of ferritin. Only when there is almost no ferritin left, the body makes too few red blood cells and anemia occurs.

When there is too much iron in the body, the amount of ferritin in the tissues and blood is too high and a condition called iron deficiency disease(hemochromatosis) develops.

If the amount of hemoglobin is not sufficient (anemia), iron deficiency is one of the possible causes. The determination of ferritin is a good test to determine iron deficiency. Iron deficiency can occur due to excessive blood loss, insufficient iron in the diet or insufficient absorption of iron (from the diet) in the intestines. Symptoms associated with anemia include fatigue, shortness of breath, and dizziness.

Ferritin is also a good test to determine iron accumulation(hemochromatosis) in the body due to excess iron. Hemochromatosis is an inherited disease in which the body absorbs too much iron in the intestines. Symptoms that fit with iron accumulation disease are fatigue and pain in joints.