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High ferrintin

Posted , 6 users are following.

marie13049
marie13049

I have got high ferrintin it was only noticed 2 yrs ago for a routine blood tests.  MY GP wrote to the conultant and he said if my ferrintin saturation is less than 45 just to monitor.  My ferrintin saturation is 40 and my gp is snding me for another blood test.  I am a bit concerned how do i find out if I hsve got haemochromatosis.  Recently after I had a fall and suffer from inflammation from my shoulder my ferrintin went sky high.  I also suffer form generalised arthritis and my rheumatoid factor is very high.  Just want some advice from people with hiugh ferrin levels.  Thanks

1 like, 3 replies

3 Replies

  • jmcg2014
    jmcg2014 marie13049

    Posted

    There is a standard blood test that tells categorically if you have it. It takes a few weeks to come back,but its a standard blood test
  • sheryl37154
    sheryl37154 marie13049

    Posted

    A high ferritin alone does not indicate hereditary haemochromatosis.  It just means hyperferritinemea, with other causes, e.g. inflammation, infection, fatty liver, malignancy, etc.  You must have a transferrin saturation % >45% for classic haemochromatosis.

    Then you could ask for a genetic test for haemochromatosis.  It is not a standard test, but simple enough.  Even Iron Studies is not considered standard.  A lot of drs don't even think of doing it.  It should be standard though as it is a window to a lot of health issues.

    As you have arthritis, etc. you will always have a high level of inflammation in your body, therefore high ferritin.  If you have a large waist and pronounced upper belly, you are likely to have a fatty liver.  No blood tests for fatty liver.  Treatment for that is to eliminate sugars, starches, and alcohol from your diet.  Having said that, I find a small glass of quality red with dinner most beneficial!!!!

    While arthritis is a symptom of HH, it is not the only cause and there does not seem to be any cures for it.  Even venesections do not reduce it, but maybe stop it from getting worse.

    Generally, it is found that donating blood every 3 months even if you don't have HH is very beneficial to your health.  However, some medications may prevent the Blood Bank from accepting your blood.  Try looking it up on internet if you want to take that route.

    Good luck with it all.

     

  • marie86421
    marie86421 marie13049

    Posted

    Hi Marie

    Sheryl is comment is correct for classic haemochromatosis for transferrin saturation.

    This was not so for me.  It was thought that I had hyperferritinanaemia at first because my transferrin saturation was 30%, even though my ferritin was in the low 3000 range.  A genetic test revealed that I also have a mutation on the FPN gene called Ferroportin, and it is this gene that causes me to load iron.  With Ferroportin you get a consistently low transferrin saturation result.

    Best wishes

    Marie

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