Various Options For Diagnosing And Treating Hemochromatosis

Serum Ferritin

Serum ferritin testing provides a measurement of the quantity of iron being stored in the body. This measurement helps doctors get an overall idea of a patient's iron levels over several months. Ferritin is a term used to describe a special protein in the body that stores iron until it is needed. Ferritin can be found in large concentrations in an individual's hepatocytes and reticuloendothelial cells until more red blood cells need to be produced. Once red blood cells are needed, the body signals the release of ferritin from the cells. Another protein called transferrin binds to the ferritin that has been released to carry the mineral throughout the individual's bloodstream. A healthy male will have ferritin levels between twenty and five hundred nanograms per milliliter, and healthy females will have levels between twenty and two hundred nanograms per milliliter. Hemochromatosis patients will have higher than normal serum ferritin levels.

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