This biomarker outsmarts haemoglobin in predicting anemia much before it develops

It can be reasonably said that banks are not the same as pocket wallets, however, both are interchangeably used to assess wealth. Likewise, measuring actual iron stores can be different from scaling its deficiency in the blood.

Many experts are now increasingly proposing the use of a ferritin test to predict anemia in people, particularly in those who are menstruating or are pregnant as there is loss of blood in bleeding and growing an embryo. This comes in opposition to the traditional practice of measuring iron deficiency through a standard haemoglobin test.

As per the experts, a person having normal iron levels in a blood report is not enough. It is equally important to know if the internal reserves are not silently getting depleted. 

The reports suggest that anemia affects nearly two billion people globally and is the third largest cause of disability.

Haemoglobin versus ferritin

Haemoglobin is an iron-rich protein in the red blood cells which plays a crucial role in transportation of oxygen throughout the body.

With low haemoglobin, the oxygenation of blood gets affected and it directly impairs the metabolic machinery of the body, causing poor generation of energy and lower immunity to fight off infections.

Ferritin, on the other hand, is not the same as iron. It is a protein that binds to iron and keeps it stored in cells. It only releases iron when the body needs it. Also, ferritin is found in considerable amounts in the liver cells and immune cells of the body.

Though most of the ferritin is hidden inside the cells, a small amount of it gets leaked into the blood. The leaked quantity can be collected and measured for iron.

Low levels of ferritin can indicate that the body’s natural reserves of iron are getting empty and dry. 

However, highly elevated levels of ferritin can indicate inflammation and internal organ stress. 

Testing iron in blood 

To measure iron levels in the blood, a standard test measures the amount of haemoglobin found in the complete blood count (CBC). This measure is a proxy for iron available in the blood.

This test is a fair measure if the body has enough of functional haemoglobin. However, it cannot predict anemia, particularly when the levels seem optimal.