Please can anyone help with these results as can’t get through to GP and panicking

[Soooty]

I had a blood test recently as I generally have low iron. The latest test has come back as follows:

haemoglobin 122
ferritin 18
haemophilia 28.7
b12 570

I don’t understand the haemophilia result in particular and when I have googled it it seems worrying? The Gp has sent a message for me to book in an appointment asap but each time I call I can’t get through. I’ve been feeling really low and emotional recently (last few weeks) and I just feel really stressed about these results. Can anyone help? I will obviously keep trying to speak to GP

Your iron is slightly low, althought technically within range, which you alreadyknew. Everything else is fine

Heamophillia is not a blood test. Its probably MCH given context, which is a normal value.

How much iron are you actually taking? And can you tolerate it? The tannins in tea inhibit iron absorption so don't drink any kind of tea within 2 hours either side of taking the iron. Vitamin C is a cofactor for iron absorption, so drinking orange juice or having anything else with vitamin C will help absorption. Many people find that flouradix or spatone are better tolerated than iron tablets. You can also buy an iron fish that you put in the cooking water for pasta/rice/ veg which leaches iron into the cooking water and hence the food which can help. If you can't tolerate iron tablets two or three times a day, there evidence that taking the tablets once a day or even every other day is just as effective at increasing iron levels.

If your ferritin is not improving despite adequate iron replacement, then you are either not absorbing it, or you are losing it as quickly as it is being replaced.

If a suspicion of malabsorption, then you should have a coeliac screen - coeliac disease is a common cause of iron deficiency and can occur without symptoms.

If you are losing iron, then the commonest cause in women of child bearing age is periods and this can be treated with eg oral contraceptives or a coil.

It is better to treat the underlying cause if you can find it (not always possible). Unfortunately, iron infusions are expensive and require a trip to hospital so they are rationed and can also have quite serious side effects so you would usually have to actually be anemic to get one on the NHS. I don't agree with this, but I don't make the rules, unfortunately.

Anyway, I hope some of that is helpful to the OP and anyone else struggling with low ferritin.

If OP was being tested for acquired haemophilia checking factor VIII is likely to be run first. Op doesn't mention if bruising was a symptom. Taking her at her word they mentioned haemophilia and she heard something other than factor 8, whoch is expressed as a percentage, especially as she said lupus in a later post. An auto immune bleeding condition.

"A blood clotting factor level of 28.7% (often reported as 0.28 IU/mL or within the 6–40% range) falls into the category of mild haemophilia. In this range, spontaneous bleeding is rare, but prolonged bleeding can occur after major trauma, surgery, or dental work. "

Just be careful.

The hemophilia that you heard is almost certainly mean corpuscular haemoglobin - which is part of the full blood count.

BUt that would not be reported as haemophilia anything. The result comes through as factors, and percentages. It doesn't say haemophilia on it. And the OP would surely have had to give informed consent to be be tested for acquired haemophilia. (I remember treating a case of significant acquired factor XI deficiency years ago as a house officer, rare as hell. The haematologist was incredibly excited. There was a contamination issue with the factor XI supplies, and at one point we were literally waiting for more to arrive on a plane from the USA)

Have you been tested for other things? Chronic low iron despite supplements can indicate poor absorption, linked to things like coeliac disease. You don’t need to have obvious stomach issues to have coeliac disease- if it’s not been ruled out by testing it might be worth asking for the test. It’s a blood test initially so no more invasive than the tests for iron levels you have already had.

Do you know why it was refused?

Not to de-rail but my bloods came back on Tuesday with Ferratin of 6 and haemoglobin of 9 (after a blood transfusion a few weeks ago). I've been referred and have an appt for December this year - such a bloody joke!!

Just checked my last bloods and they're all lower than those. My daughter's ferritin is 6 (found later the letter to the dr who wanted to check no internal bleeding..dr didn't even mention it) mine is 11 - my other daughter refuses to get tested ..but sleeps alot.
Every female in our family are the same though. I know other people that have had iron infusions and felt great..I had one once and got so sick from it for i think 3 months i was ill for and it did nothing for my levels. I'm not to have them again.

It hasnt changed as far as I know. Iron deficiency anaemia is different to being anaemic. One is the state, and one is the cause.

Below 11 is and always has been iron deficiency anaemia as the cause.

You can have anaemia with any level of iron, and it have nothing to do with iron. Although it is by far the most common cause.

My GP surgery always refused to give results over the phone. For that exact reason - a receptionist is t medically qualified.

I now just read them off the app.

My ferritin was 5 at the beginning of the year which my GP said was borderline despite the test being marked as abnormal and the range starting at 30! I used my work health insurance for the first time ever and had an iron infusion within the week and my level is now 135.

I’ve gone from barely functioning to running 5k three times a week and loads of other exercise which would have been unthinkable in January.

If you struggle with normal iron tablets, I can thoroughly recommend Three Arrows heme iron. It’s not suitable for veggies or vegans but if you can take it, it works quickly with no side effects. Doesn’t matter when you take it either.

Physically go to your GP, and ask to wait for a cancellation while you are there.

Plus isn’t haemophilia just present in males?

I suspect receptionist has read you mchc or mch results, both of which are often abnormal and generally ignored by doctors. Doctors will be much more interested in MCV, which won't be the result you have been given based on the level of the result.

But OP is not having her blood clotting factors tested. Firstly they wouldn't list that as heamophillia it would be factor whatever. And they arent just going to randomly run tests for heamophillia without informing you

You have no idea what you are talking about and are just scaring someone who already has anxiety.

Yes sometimes I see my results on the app and they’re slightly abnormal but not enough to worry about and/or could have innocent explanation. A very mild sore throat or cold can throw some of your bloods especially white blood cells while they’re fighting the infection but is nothing to worry about.

You should make it clear you’ve used AI in your response as it’s NOT ALWAYS RIGHT.

Not saying it’s wrong here, but you cannot trust it 100%. Your post implies it as fact without the caveat.

Fair point I didn’t think.

Just slightly low iron? Do you have heavy periods.

I wouldn’t class this as concerning.

just download the nhs app, it tells you the tests and the doctors feedback on the results.

OP hasn't been tested for haemophillia, she's just misheard/misunderstood/heard the receptionist mispronounce the name of a standard part of the full blood count test ans her result isn't even abnormal.

It really worries me that people are so happy to confidently issue medical advice without the slightest bit of knowledge or training to understand the situation they're advising on. If OP really did have haemophillia she should be be seeing a specialist and getting advice from them, not mumsnet.

If you are in a state of panic (and bearing in mind it's Friday) I would go to the GP and make an appointment in person. This is what I do when the phone queue is ridiculous. They have one person dealing with the desk while the others man phones but better than nothing.

Please PLEASE don't use AI for this kind of stuff. The last paragraph is completely misleading, as you've asked it to answer a question about haemophilia. The term is highly likely to have been misheard or mis-spoken, so you're causing OP anxiety unnecessarily in expressing your post as fact.

I really don't understand why posters do this, and without acknowledging that it's AI. It's SO dangerous to answer medical questions this way.

Scotland does not have a NHS app. Not sure about Wales and N Ireland. Don't assume the OP is English.