What is iron?
Iron is an element that is responsible for transporting oxygen in the human body. There are between 2 and 4 grams of iron in the human body. One third of the iron is stored in the liver, spleen, intestinal mucosa and bone marrow. Two thirds of the iron is found in the blood, bound to the red blood pigment haemoglobin. The inhaled oxygen is bound to the iron in the blood and transported to the organs.
Iron requirement
Iron, ferritin and transferritin
When a person absorbs iron through food, only a small amount enters the blood via the intestinal cells. The rest of the iron is excreted. In the blood, the iron binds to a protein called transferrin. It transports the trace element to various organs and tissues. If the iron is to be stored, it is bound to the protein “ferritin” and deposited in this form in the organs.
When are iron levels determined?
The doctor determines the iron content in the blood in order to diagnose an iron deficiency or an iron excess. An iron deficiency often manifests itself with chronic tiredness, dizziness, paleness, headaches and reduced resilience. Too much iron in the blood also manifests itself in tiredness and poor concentration. It can also lead to a bronze coloration of the skin and joint problems.
Iron – normal values
Blood iron levels in women and men are normally within the following ranges:
|
age |
Iron standard values |
|
|
women |
18 to 39 years |
37 – 165 µg/dl |
|
40 to 59 years |
23 – 134 µg/dl |
|
|
from 60 years |
39 – 149 µg/dl |
|
|
around the 12th week of pregnancy |
42 – 177 µg/dl |
|
|
at the date of birth |
25 – 137 µg/dl |
|
|
6 weeks after birth |
16 – 150 µg/dl |
|
|
men |
18 to 39 years |
40 – 155 µg/dl |
|
40 to 59 years |
35 – 168 µg/dl |
|
|
from 60 years |
40 – 120 µg/dl |
|
age |
female |
male |
|
up to 4 weeks |
29 – 112 µg/dl |
32 – 127 µg/dl |
|
1 to 12 months |
25 – 126 µg/dl |
27 – 109 µg/dl |
|
1 to 2 years |
25 – 101 µg/dl |
29 – 91 µg/dl |
|
3 to 5 years |
28 – 93 µg/dl |
25 – 115 µg/dl |
|
6 to 8 years |
30 – 104 µg/dl |
27 – 96 µg/dl |
|
9 to 11 years |
32 – 104 µg/dl |
28 – 112 µg/dl |
|
12 to 14 years |
30 – 109 µg/dl |
26 – 110 µg/dl |
|
15 to 17 years |
33 – 102 µg/dl |
27 – 138 µg/dl |
When are iron levels low?
There is too little iron in the blood in the following diseases:
- infections
- chronic inflammations
- tumors
In addition to the iron level in the blood, the transferrin and ferritin levels must always be determined. This is the only way to determine the cause of the iron metabolism disorder. In the case of inflammation, for example, the iron and ferritin levels in the blood are reduced. In pregnancy, on the other hand, the iron content in the blood is increased and the ferritin content is reduced.
When are iron levels elevated?
- Anemia caused by the destruction of red blood cells (haemolytic anemia)
- Anemia caused by reduced cell formation in the bone marrow (aplastic anemia)
- some time after larger transfusion quantities
- Iron storage disease (haemochromatosis)
- Excessive iron intake (for example during iron therapy)
- Blood cancer (leukemia)
- Severe liver damage, for example in the case of hepatitis or heavy alcohol consumption
What to do if iron levels change?
If there is too much iron in the blood or the iron level is reduced, the ferritin and transferrin concentration as well as the number of red blood cells must also be determined. Only when these values are available can the doctor make a statement about the cause of the altered iron levels.
If there is a severe excess of iron, it is sometimes necessary to perform phlebotomy. Here, a needle is inserted into a vein in the same way as when taking blood samples. The doctor uses the needle to remove blood and thus iron.