What Causes Abnormal Ferritin Levels?

Abnormal ferritin levels can have various causes, ranging in severity from 'needs attention' to 'life-threatening'. Finding the true cause means ruling out or confirming each possibility – in other words, diagnosis.

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Diagnosis is usually a complex process due to the sheer number of possible causes and related symptoms. In order to diagnose abnormal ferritin levels, we could:

Research the topic
Find a doctor with the time
Use a diagnostic computer system.

The process is the same, whichever method is used.

Step 1: List all Possible Causes

We begin by identifying the disease conditions which have "abnormal ferritin levels" as a symptom. Here are four possibilities:

Cancer In General
Chronic Inflammation
Hemochromatosis
Iron Deficiency Anemia

Step 2: Build a Symptom Checklist

We then identify all possible symptoms and risk factors of each possible cause, and check the ones that apply:

short-term low-carb dieting

minor problem with cysts

heavy treated wood exposure

macrocytic red cells

moderate alcohol consumption

major unexplained weight loss

iron deficiency anemia

severe abdominal pain

weak appetite

vegetarian diet

very low serum iron

light body hair

... and more than 30 others

Step 3: Rule Out or Confirm each Possible Cause

A differential diagnosis of your symptoms and risk factors finds the likely cause of abnormal ferritin levels:

Cause	Probability	Status
Cancer In General	94%	Confirm
Hemochromatosis	12%	Unlikely
Iron Deficiency Anemia	5%	Ruled out
Chronic Inflammation	4%	Ruled out

* This is a simple example to illustrate the process

Arriving at a Correct Diagnosis

The Analyst™ is our online diagnosis tool that learns all about you through a straightforward process of multi-level questioning, providing diagnosis at the end.

If you indicate having had recent lab tests, The Analyst™ will ask further questions including this one:

Ferritin. Unit: ng/mL [pmol/L]

Possible responses:

→ Don't know
→ Under 10 [22]
→ 10-17 [22-39]
→ 18-270 [40-607] (normal)
→ Over 270 [607]

Based on your response to this question, which may indicate very low ferritin levels, low ferritin levels, normal ferritin levels or elevated ferritin levels, The Analyst™ will consider possibilities such as:

Cancer, General

Chronic Inflammation

Less common causes of elevated ferritin levels include the presence of chronic inflammatory disorders, acute hepatitis and Gaucher's disease.

Iron Deficiency Anemia

... and also rule out issues such as:

Iron Deficiency Anemia

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