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Ferritin Test

✅ Up to date🔬 Evidence: StrongHematology
Diğer adları: Ferritin level, Iron stores test, Serum ferritin
⚠️

Discuss your test results with your doctor. This page is for informational purposes only and does not provide a diagnosis.

⚡ Key Facts

• Primary indicator of the body's iron stores • Also an acute phase reactant — may rise with infection or inflammation independently of iron status • Low ferritin strongly suggests iron deficiency • High ferritin requires clinical context (inflammation, liver disease, or iron overload)

🧪 What Does This Test Measure?

The ferritin test measures the level of ferritin protein in the blood, which is the primary indicator of the body's iron stores.

📋 Why Is It Ordered?

Ordered for iron deficiency and iron deficiency anemia evaluation, investigation of unexplained fatigue or hair loss, and assessment of elevated ferritin levels.

🔧 Preparation

Fasting is generally not required for this test. However, some centers prefer morning collection under fasting conditions.

📊 Reference Ranges

Iron deficiency: ≤30 µg/L (adults, menstruating and pregnant individuals) Higher-risk groups: ≤50 µg/L (e.g. heavy menstrual bleeding, pregnancy with anemia) Children (9 months–4 years): ≤20 µg/L With inflammation: ferritin <100 µg/L or transferrin saturation <20% may suggest iron deficiency Iron overload risk: >150 µg/L (menstruating women), >200 µg/L (men and postmenopausal women) ⚠️ Iron deficiency thresholds are based on the 2026 ASH guideline and are higher than the previous WHO 2020 threshold (<15 µg/L). Many laboratory reports may still use the older thresholds; results are interpreted together with the clinical context. (1 µg/L = 1 ng/mL)

⬆️ High Values

Elevated ferritin may be associated with infection, inflammation, liver disease, alcohol use, or iron overload (hemochromatosis). High ferritin does not always mean excess iron.

⬇️ Low Values

Low ferritin strongly suggests iron deficiency. It may be associated with inadequate dietary iron, malabsorption, chronic blood loss, or increased requirements such as pregnancy.

⚙️ What Can Affect Results?

Certain conditions may make ferritin less reliable as a reflection of iron status: infection, inflammation, liver disease, obesity, alcohol, iron supplements, and timing.

🔬 Evidence Summary

Strong evidence: 3 guidelines, 2 systematic reviews, 4 reviews. Iron deficiency thresholds have been updated according to the 2026 ASH guideline.

📚 Most Important Studies on This Topic

1

WHO guideline on use of ferritin concentrations to assess iron status in individuals and populations

Guideline· WHO Guidelines · 2020 · PMID: 33909381

2

American Society of Hematology 2026 guidelines for diagnosis of iron deficiency

Guideline· Blood Advances · 2026 · PMID: 42747316

3

Are current serum and plasma ferritin cut-offs for iron deficiency and overload accurate and reflecting iron status? A systematic review

Systematic review· Arch Med Res · 2018 · PMID: 30573199

✅ Key Takeaways

💡

What you learned: Ferritin is the primary marker of iron stores, but it also rises with inflammation. Low ferritin almost always suggests iron deficiency; high ferritin should be interpreted alongside clinical context.

⛔

A ferritin result alone cannot diagnose iron deficiency or iron overload. Inflammatory markers and clinical context are needed for definitive evaluation.

🔬 Sources Used on This Page

9 sources · Most recent publication: 2026
📋
Guideline
Expert society and guideline recommendations
3
sources
📊
Systematic review / meta-analysis
Combined analysis of multiple studies
2
sources
📖
Review
Comprehensive topic evaluation
4
sources
Overall assessment: Evidence level for this topic is strong. This page is supported by 3 guidelines, 2 systematic reviews/meta-analysis, 4 reviews.

📝 Questions to Ask Your Doctor

Be prepared for your appointment. Add questions to your list.

📋 References

[PMID: 42747316] American Society of Hematology 2026 guidelines for diagnosis of iron deficiency. Blood Advances, 2026.
[PMID: 40159291] Iron Deficiency in Adults: A Review. JAMA, 2025.
[PMID: 35662478] EASL Clinical Practice Guidelines on haemochromatosis. J Hepatol, 2022.
[PMID: 33909381] WHO guideline on use of ferritin concentrations to assess iron status in individuals and populations. WHO Guidelines, 2020.
[PMID: 30401704] Iron deficiency. Blood, 2019.
[PMID: 30573199] Are current serum and plasma ferritin cut-offs for iron deficiency and overload accurate and reflecting iron status? A systematic review. Arch Med Res, 2018.
[PMID: 29744352] Limitations of serum ferritin in diagnosing iron deficiency in inflammatory conditions. Int J Chronic Dis, 2018.
[PMID: 25946282] Iron-deficiency anemia. N Engl J Med, 2015.
[PMID: 1487761] Laboratory diagnosis of iron-deficiency anemia: an overview. J Gen Intern Med, 1992.
Last reviewed: 3/26/2026
Next review: 3/26/2027

⚖️ Comparisons

Ferritin vs Serum Iron→B12 vs Ferritin→

🔗 Related Topics

🩺 Iron deficiency anemia🩺 Hemokromatoz🧪 Hemogram (Tam kan sayımı)🧪 Demir bağlama kapasitesi (TDBK)🧪 Transferrin satürasyonu🧪 CRP (C-reaktif protein)
⚖️ This page does not replace medical advice. Make treatment decisions with your doctor.
Content is based on scientific studies indexed in PubMed and current clinical guidelines.