How To Download High Ferritin?

Ferritin is one of the proteins that interferes with iron metabolism. It is responsible for storing it in certain cells of our body so that we have reserves when needed. Having high ferritin in your blood can be a sign that something is wrong with your body.

Most ferritin is found in the liver, but  some circulates in the blood. That way, when we measure the amount of ferritin in the blood, we can also estimate that person’s iron concentration.

Iron is essential for hemoglobin in red blood cells to bind to oxygen and transport it  to all of our cells. In this article, we’ll explain what happens when ferritin is high in the blood and how to lower it.

What does it mean to have high ferritin?

As we mentioned, ferritin is a protein that allows iron to be stored in cells. When blood concentration is measured, we can tell if iron stores are high, low, or within normal limits.

Normal blood ferritin levels are between 12 and 300 nanograms/milliliter in men. In the case of women, the normal range is between 12 and 150 ng/ml. This difference is due to the fact that women lose a significant amount of iron with menstruation.

Having high ferritin means that your iron levels are also high. This situation can occur due to various causes such as liver damage. Other causes we can find are:

• Frequent or excessive intake of alcohol.
• Inflammatory processes. They can occur in many diseases, such as cancer.
• A very high iron diet.
• Anemia. This case is complex. The idea is that, as it is an iron deficiency, the body tries to supply it by increasing the amount of circulating ferritin and, therefore, the available iron.
• Blood transfusions.
• Macrophage activation syndrome. It is a condition in which the cells of the immune system, called macrophages, are more activated than normal. These are cells in which ferritin is also stored.

We must not forget that having high ferritin also depends on genetic factors. In fact, there is an inherited disease called hemochromatosis, which is precisely the fact that there is an excessive accumulation of iron.

What symptoms can occur?

Usually people are asymptomatic at first, but some symptoms may appear over time. First,  the person usually feels tired and weak. 

It is also typical for abdominal or joint pain to occur  in people with high ferritin. The skin usually looks darker. Even heart problems can appear as a consequence.

How is high ferritin treated?

To lower ferritin levels, there are certain treatment options. First, try to cut back on foods that are high in iron, such as spinach, beef liver, or red meat.

Also,  it is generally recommended to ingest chelates. Chelates are substances that bind metals found in the blood, such as iron, and allow them to be eliminated.

Another option is to perform a phlebotomy. It is a technique that involves drawing blood from a person with high ferritin. It needs to be repeated several times to lower levels. Also, it requires frequent blood tests to check for it.

The thing to remember is that it  is important to go to the doctor relatively often and get blood tests done. Through this simple measurement, many important health parameters can be known, such as the ferritin level.