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Low ferritin Normal iron

dangermouse

dangermouse

Senior Member
Messages
430
Back in 2006 my serum ferritin was 17. I was given iron tablets for a few months, it reached around 68.

Last year I had iron overload. Don't know how. I wasn't supplementing iron. It reduced back to normal. Don't know what serum ferritin was at that time as it wasn't checked.

Now my serum ferritin is back down to 20 but iron levels normal.

I'm concerned as I'm having hair loss and a small bald spot has been noticed at the side of my head. I'm seeing GP tomorrow.

How would you increase ferritin without causing iron overload?
 
M

Markus83

Senior Member
Messages
277
Measuring iron in blood makes mostly no sense. Ferritin has good correlation with whole body iron.

If there is inflammation in the body (e.g. caused by chronic infectin), ferritin might be normal or even increased although there is iron deficiency. Ferritin of 20 might well be a deficiency and make sympoms like hair loss. If you have chronic bacterial infections, you would feed them as well by substituting iron. So iron is two-sided in this case.
 
dangermouse

dangermouse

Senior Member
Messages
430
Just seen GP. Checking thyroid antibody, T4, ferritin and Zinc.

Discussed stress levels, obviously being chronically ill with ME and other things can be a cause of some stress, though I've not been noticeably stressed.

Acknowledged peri menopause could be a cause.

She mentioned a steroid cream that can be prescribed that may help regrowth? Not sure what that's like?
 
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