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Very High Iron Levels, Rest Normal

06/22/2010

Question:

Hello, I`m a 31 year old caucasian male, tall and thin (6`2, 156 pounds). During a routine blood test they found Iron levels of 206 (which I saw puts me in the 99.75 percentil). Ferritin was normal (75) as was Transfferin (234). Doctor said it was of no concern, but then why would my levels be so high? I haven`t been sick lately or suffered from any infection that I know of. Should I request additional tests or is my doctor correct in dismissing it? Thank you very much for your time!

Answer:

The most common cause for an elevated serum iron is simply not fasting.  I would recommend that your doctor simply recheck the ferritin, the iron, and the TIBC all at the same time once you are fasting.  If the next round comes back abnormal, then genetic testing to rule out hemochromatosis would be appropriate.

For more information:

Go to the Hemochromatosis health topic.