Ferritin is a protein, found in the blood, that stores iron until it is needed for the manufacture of hemoglobin for red blood cells. This test measures the amount of ferritin in the blood serum.
The ferritin test is done to find how much iron is stored in a person's body. The test is ordered if the healthcare professional suspects that the person has either too much or too little iron in the body.
To measure the amount of ferritin in the serum, a blood sample is taken from a vein on the forearm. First, the skin over the vein is cleaned with an antiseptic. Next, a strong rubber tube called a tourniquet is wrapped around the upper arm. This restricts the blood flow through the veins in the lower arm causing them to enlarge.
A small needle is inserted into a vein. The tourniquet is removed. Blood flows from the vein through the needle into a syringe or vial. The sample is sent to the lab for testing. After the needle is withdrawn, the puncture site is covered for a short time to prevent bleeding
There is no special preparation for this test.
Abnormally high amounts of ferritin may suggest: alcoholic liver diseasehemochromatosis, a genetic disease that causes the body to absorb and store too much ironhemosiderosis, a condition in which iron builds up in the lungs and liverhemolytic anemia, which is caused by destruction of red blood cellsHodgkin's lymphoma, a cancer of the lymph cellsleukemia, cancer of the white blood cellsadvanced stages of other types of cancermegaloblastic anemia, in which the bone marrow produces large, abnormal red blood cellsinflammatory diseasecirrhosis, which is destruction of the normal liver tissuechronic hepatitis, an inflammation of the liver that lasts at least 6 months
Abnormally low amounts of ferritin may result from: chronic gastrointestinal bleedingheavy menstrual bleedingiron deficiency anemia, which is a low red blood cell count caused by a deficiency of iron in the diet
Mosby's Diagnostic and Laboratory Test Reference: 4th edition, 1999
