What is ferritin?
Ferritin is a large protein molecule that can store iron. It is the most important iron store in the body. Each ferritin molecule can store about 4000 iron molecules. The ferritin loaded with the heavy metal is located inside cells.
The ferritin level is the most important measurement to get an impression of the iron metabolism. The ferritin level allows conclusions to be drawn as to whether the iron stores are empty and the patient has an iron deficiency.
In which cases is ferritin determined?
Ferritin is determined in:
- Suspicion of iron deficiency
- Suspicion of iron overload (too much iron in the body)
- Control of a therapy with iron preparations
Ferritin is determined in serum or plasma. The following standard values apply for children, adolescents and adults:
| AGE | STANDARD VALUES |
|
0 to 14 days |
90 – 628 µg/l |
|
15 days to 2 months |
144 – 399 µg/l |
|
3 months |
87 – 430 µg/l |
|
4 to 5 months |
37 – 223 µg/l |
|
6 to 7 months |
19 – 142 µg/l |
|
8 to 10 months |
14 – 103 µg/l |
|
11 months to 2 years |
1 – 199 µg/l |
|
3 to 15 years |
9 – 159 µg/l |
|
16 to 18 years |
male: 12 – 178 µg/l female: 10 – 163 µg/l |
|
19 to 50 years |
male: 9 – 437 µg/l female: 9 – 145 µg/l |
|
from 51 years |
male: 9 – 437 µg/l |
The value depends on the measuring method. Therefore, the values are only a rough guide.
In which cases is the ferritin value too low?
A too low ferritin value indicates an iron deficiency. This can be caused by:
- Diseases that lead to a reduced absorption of iron (iron absorption disorder, such as sprue or Crohn’s disease)
- unbalanced diet or malnutrition (in alcoholism as well as vegan diet)
- increased need for iron (pregnancy, lactation, growth phase)
- Transferrin deficiency, such as in certain kidney diseases (nephrotic syndrome), protein loss syndrome (exudative enteropathy), severe burns
Patients who have to undergo regular blood purification (hemodialysis) are particularly at risk for iron loss. The amount of ferritin is always lower in them than in a healthy comparison group.
In which cases is the ferritin value too high?
The ferritin value can be too high in:
- Iron overload (hemochromatosis)
- Iron utilization disorders, such as anemia due to folic acid deficiency, anemia due to vitamin B12 deficiency, hemoglobinopathies (diseases in which the formation of red blood pigment is disturbed) or porphyrias (metabolic diseases associated with a disturbance in the formation of the red blood pigment heme)
As a representative of the acute phase proteins, ferritin generally increases during inflammation, infection and tissue injury.
