Dd blood test results ferratin 32 can anyone put this into context please

[DrasticAction]

Her blood tests have comeback normal but I'm struggling to read them.

It says ferratin 32 and then 30-250 which I assume is the range?

If that is the range would anyone say they are on the lower side and should I give her an gentle iron supplement?

I don't understand ferratin and iron because then it says

"iron studies"... 13. And 4 - 29

I can't advise on the supplement, I'm sure the GP could confirm it, but I have low ferritin (around 30/32) and am losing a lot of hair which apparently happens if ferritin is under 70.

To me, if we are loosing hair when our ferritin is under 70 then the "healthy range" should be 70+. The fact its 30 is ridiculous.

@SecondUsername4me thank you so much.

Well the docs have not asked her about her wellbeing etc nor offered supplements I'm just thinking she seems pale and lacks energy so I'm looking at over the counter stuff.

But I don't understand the Ferratin and then iron etc.

I agree if low ferratin is making that much of an effect then yes it should be raised.

NICE guidelines are that levels of 30 should be treated, and if DD is menstruating you're probably only one period away from them dropping to below 30 anyway.

Having been in a similar situation - for myself, not child, I did some research.

'Healthy' range is not a healthy range.

Labs define their ranges by whatever 90% of the population tested by their labs come back is. Top 5% too high and bottom 5% is too low.
So, in an area, where more than 5 % of the population tested is lower than healthy this isn't picked up. (The range doesn't always allow for male/female differences either.

In addition to that - what is healthy for one is not healthy for someone else. We are all individual. Some people live for decades on an unhealthy diet, others don't get adequate nutrition from a seemingly healthy one.

Some people smoke into their 90s, others die of lung cancer having never touched a cigarette. Deficiencies should always be treated on symptoms not just blood tests (although they are usefull too)

It really won't hurt to supplement for a few months at least - and keep it up if there's an improvement. If not, then you need to look further

Hi, I think Ferritin is the level of iron 'reserves/stores' in your blood and Hb is the actual iron level. I had to have iron tablets when my Hb level was fine but my Ferritin level was low x

@Yesnosorryplease where does nice sit along side the NHS. Is it part of the NHS?

Thank you for the guidance. @NannyGythaOgg

Strangely the doc said all her results are bang on perfect which is rare.

I only asked for rhe results because a lady passing them on said its a good idea to see them because of this very issue.

Ferritin is your iron stores. If it’s low, it’s true iron deficiency anaemia. Your body is essentially using all its iron to maintain (sometimes not successfully) your haemoglobin. With a low ferritin, as others have said, hair starts falling out as well as other symptoms like tiredness, dizziness etc. mine is currently 8 and I feel shit, and that’s with supplementation. It’s not taken seriously enough.

I'm looking at something called feroglobin, 14mg of iron.

I took that with my teen dd and it really perked is up.
Yes the figures are in range but not optimal as I said to my gp when I was one above the lowest figure.

@Rummikub oh that's good to know thank you.
I will get that, do you know how long it took to get results? It's also got vitamin b12

"Serum ferritin level is the biochemical test that most reliably correlates with relative total body iron stores. In all people, a serum ferritin level of less than 30 micrograms/L confirms the diagnosis of iron deficiency"

From https://cks.nice.org.uk/topics/anaemia-iron-deficiency/#:~:text=In%20all%20people%2C%20a%20serum,be%20less%20reliable%20in%20pregnancy.

In all people, a serum ferritin level of less than 30 micrograms/L confirms the diagnosis of iron deficiency"

My labs bottom reference range is 20. My dr actually stopped my prescription of ferrous fumerate when I reached levels of 22 because my levels were ‘normal’ 🙄

@DrasticAction less than a month.

We had the soluble ones. But eventually the taste put us off.
Switched now to floradix but that seems to take a lot longer to work. I must check b12 content.

@PennySittingPretty they just don’t want to prescribe “unnecessarily”. As far as they’re concerned it’s in range!

my consultant for thyroid said that they want to give the lowest dose they can get away with! Numbers rather than clinical symptoms.

Mine was 60 and I'm still trying to increase it, I believe it should be over 75 for hair growth and around 100 is optimal

Mine is 8 too. I have ferrus gluconate but they aren't agreeing with me. I'm tired and depressed and breathless so on sertraline but I think it's the ferritin? I don't have any reason to have low ferritin and I don't habe anaemia.

Have you tried others? Ferrous fumerate is better for me

If you are going to supplement, which I would suggest you do, make sure that she is also increasing vitamin c to enable absorbtion.wash tablet down with glass of juice

@Itsallovernow23 after my GP stopped the ferrous fumerate I bought this. Iron bisglycinate has better bioavailability than ferrous sulphate and better efficacy than ferrous glauconate, but less side effects.

ferritin also improves better if taken on alternate days.
https://pubmed.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/31413088/#:~:text=In%20iron%2Ddepleted%20women%20without,is%20given%20on%20alternate%20days.
In iron-depleted women without anemia, oral iron supplements induce an increase in serum hepcidin (SHep) that persists for 24 hours, decreasing iron absorption from supplements given later on the same or next day. Consequently, iron absorption from supplements is highest if iron is given on alternate days.

Forgot pic

Normal Hb but low ferritin is iron deficiency without anaemia. Anaemia is low red blood cell count.
Depending on the assay (some have a lower range of 30, some a lower range of 10 but with different unit measurements) you sound like you need iron infusions which probably isn’t something you didn’t already know. I’ve heard of the Cambridge clinic where there is a haematologist that prescribed these but I’ve not checked it out for myself

My ferritin was 5, I've been taking ferrous fumarate for a while now but 210mg x 3 daily under GP supervision which is far higher than any over the counter supplement. I'd say keep an eye on it so that it doesn't go too low as your DD may start to feel pretty awful and takes a long time to build back up again.

Nathroom you can buy that otc/online pharmacies. It’s even sold on eBay. I was prescribed that for years, my ferritin levels increased from 22 to 34 after my prescription was stopped and I changed to buying iron bisglycinate. It was actually recommended on here by a midwife.

@Nathroom you might want to check out the link a PP shared. There's good evidence that once daily (or one every other day) is the optimal dosing. After the first dose there's biofeedback that means less iron is absorbed from subsequent doses so you don't get much extra iron, but do get more stomach side effects, from taking a second or third dose in 24 hours.