Serum Ferritin and Estimate of Body Iron Stores

Description

Ferritin consists of a protein shell (apoferritin) surrounding variable amounts of iron complexed as ferric hydroxide-phosphate. Ferritin present in the serum contains approximately 20-25% iron. Serum ferritin concentrations in normal individuals and iron deficient patients correlate well with total body iron stores.

Reference Ranges for Serum Ferritin

Age	Male	Female
newborn	25 - 200 ng/mL	25 - 200 ng/mL
1 month	200 - 600 ng/mL	200 - 600 ng/mL
2 - 5 months	50 - 200 ng/mL	50 - 200 ng/mL
6 months - 15 years	7 - 140 ng/mL	7 - 140 ng/mL
> 15 years	20 - 250 ng/mL	10 - 120 ng/mL

Conversion to SIU:

(1) factor: 1.0

(2) SI units: µg/L

Serum Ferritin Level	Interpretation
< 10 ng/mL	usually indicative of iron deficiency anemia
> 220 ng/mL	in an adult: iron overload

Limitations:

• Ferritin is an acute phase reactant, which may be elevated in chronic inflammatory disorders. This can mask iron deficiency or even suggest elevated iron body stores.

• A ferritin >= 90 ng/mL is not associated with iron deficiency, even with an acute phase reaction.

Estimates of Iron Body Stores

estimated total iron body stores in mg =

= (serum ferritin in ng/mL) * 8

estimated total iron body stores in µmol =

= (serum ferritin in µg/L) * 143

Limitations - Serum ferritin is not a good indicator of iron body stores in:

(1) iron overload

(2) some chronic inflammatory diseases

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Description

Specialty

Objective

ICD-10

Purpose: To evaluate a patient's serum ferritin levels and to estimate a person's total body iron stores.

Description

Specialty

Objective

ICD-10