After 2 high Ferritin tests my most recent was 268 is this still high ?

[kristt79]

Hi there i recently had some bloods done as a check up and my Ferritin level came back high , had a repeat and high again so waited 6 weeks for a repeat which was 268 .Originally i was suffering back pain which i thought could be linked to when i had a heavy session drinking so i requested a full blood check up as i am approaching 40 years old - My thyroid , cholesterol etc all came back ok originally apart from the Ferritin level
I have been screened for Hepititis which came back clear but during this 6 weeks i cut out alcohol ( im a social drinker at weekends ) so has this affected my results and do i need to refrain from drinking now ? Ive had nothing back from my doctor other than 'your results were low this time so you are ok!'

[klause01]

High ferritin is common in people that drink large amounts of alcohol, the only way iron leaves the body is to donate whole blood. High iron can cause organ problems so if you are well enough get down to your local blood bank and give whole blood

[kristt79]

If i lower my alcohol intake will this not balance itself out in time ?

[klause01]

If you are a man or postmenopausal iron just doesn't leave the body. women lose iron monthly if she is menstruating but not a man. You didn't say if your iron and saturation % is high too, you should be looking at those numbers also. High ferritin can mean you have inflammation and can cause problems for your liver. Why consider cutting all alcohol and have this checked out. If you find it a problem to stop drinking your doctor can give you something to help with the sensation of alcohol. what did your doctor say about your high ferritin levels? Did you have liver test. AST?ALT?GGT. was this all in range if so what are the ranges for that lab and what are your scores?

[kristt79]

i only drink socially , i dont have a drink issue. I do have a good tolerance to drink so when i do drink i can consume a lot but im not for instance an alcoholic or ever have been. I literally went for a check up , had some bloods done they said my Ferritin was high , went back for a re-test and it was high again. I went back 6 weeks later after pretty much cutting aclohol out of my diet and it was apparently 268 within a band from 25-275. When i rang my docs for results the nurse just said 'your under 275 so you are ok and dont need further tests' - for me 268 in a bandwidth of 25-275 still seems high ??? Im male by the way and thanks for the responses

[klause01]

Iron has no way to leave the body, you need a ferritin and saturation to tell if your iron is really high, most doctors won't do ferritin on labs unless you request it, or you can order privately (health lab.cm). There are many labs online that doesn't require an order from a doctor. Ferritin will tell you your stored iron, too much iron in the body is really bad for the organs (liver).  Many drinkers do have high iron and I am not saying that you are an alcoholic, sorry if you thought that. Once you find out about your ferritin and saturation levels, go to your local blood bank and give whole blood, only after you check your ferritin and saturation because if you're not really high in iron, you can become anemic.

[kristt79]

I didnt think you were suggesting that at all i was just clearing this up as obviously this could be alcohol related. My point / worry is that the docs seem to be happy with 268 but in my head this is still high , if it was high twice and has just dipped in below their upper limit , should they be investigating more OR was this only because i stopped drinking for 6 weeks ish ?

[klause01]

Iron is sometimes high due to inflammation could be due to drinking, and when you stop drinking the inflammation went down(probably). iron in the triple digits is way high and iron should be in the double digits, around 60 or 70 would be great. Yes, they should be investigating but most primary care doctors know little about iron levels, they just say normal is normal and that's it. Most hepatologist would jump on you getting rid of the iron.  Your levels might continue to go down as your inflammation goes down. There is iron overload problem called hemochromatosis which can cause high iron but your iron would be much higher, most have iron levels in the thousands. If I were you, I would order a private test online that doesn't require a doctors order and check my ferritin/saturation and iron, this will let you know if you have lots of iron stored. After, you get the test and only after you get the test done, go give whole blood at your local blood bank but remember don't give until you do the test because you might make things worst.