Ferritin

5 mL blood in lithium heparin or plain tube.

Immunoassay.

Levels are age and gender dependent with method-related upper reference limits.

Adult female (premenopausal): 20-220 µg/L.

Adult female (postmenopausal): 30-370 µg/L.

Adult male:  30-620 µg/L.

Investigation of suspected Iron deficiency or Iron overload.

Serum ferritin levels ≥30 µg/L up to the method-related upper reference limit demonstrates healthy iron stores as long as co-existing inflammatory disease or hepatocellular damage are not present.

A serum ferritin level ≤20 µg/L for pre-pubescent children (with or without anaemia) is diagnostic of iron deficiency.

A serum ferritin level <30 µg/L for an adult is diagnostic of iron deficiency.

Serum ferritin levels of 20-60 µg/L in an anaemic pre-pubescent child may represent iron deficiency if there is coexisting inflammatory disease.

Serum ferritin levels of 30-100 µg/L in an anaemic adult may represent iron deficiency if there is coexisting inflammatory disease. In these cases the ratio of ferritin to soluble transferrin receptors gives better discrimination.

An elevated ferritin concentration above the method-related upper reference limit may be due to concurrent inflammatory disease, liver disease or iron overload (Hereditary haemochromatosis and Haemosiderosis). A raised percentage transferrin saturation in isolation may be the earliest indicator of iron overload.
Serum ferritin concentrations typically fall in the last 4 weeks of normal pregnancy. This reflects transfer of organic iron from mother to fetus, rather than any change in iron metabolism. However, a ferritin concentration <30 µg/L is still considered diagnostic of iron deficiency at any stage of pregnancy. As for non-pregnant individuals, ferritin concentrations in the 30-100 µg/L range could indicate iron deficiency in the presence of co-existing inflammatory disease.

See Table 3.