Low Ferritin, High Iron? Contradiction. Also High Hemoglobin. Anyone know what this might point to?

I checked each of these individually,  and it doesn't make sense to have high Iron and low Ferritin.  Hemoglobin is high too.  Does anyone else have this?  Lyme or coinfection association?  Going to Neuro on Monday,  and it would help to have some idea how such a contradiction can occur.  Thank you.

Thank you for responding,  I haven't had a chance to speak with her about them yet.  I got the papers to take to the Neurologist and of course you know I had to look them over and start searching for answers before seeing the doc,  lol. 

So I don't have any reserve Iron,  or very little.  I've read that low ferritin could be related to thyroid.  The doc must have thought it was important because the two previous blood panels didn't include that one.  Maybe we have something to work with now,  though.

Then this result on a blood test wouldn't necessarily be related to a tick borne illness?

Maybe doing something to help the thyroid could give me that energy boost and get my immune system back on track?

Anyone else have any input too.  Thank you again.

Well I did some more research last night and found one thing that matches up with all low ferritin, low platelets, high hemoglobin and high iron--Hemolytic Anemia.  I hope to God this isn't it. 

Hemolytic Anemia is when red blood cells die off before they should,  and in high numbers,  causing anemia through die off of cells rather than lack of iron.  It's related to autoimmune conditions and can also be caused by Lyme and some coinfections too.  The iron and hemoglobin then enter into the bloodstream after cell die off causing high numbers,  but at the same time the person is anemic so platelets and ferritin are low.

If it's mild,  sometimes people don't even have symptoms.  If it's advanced,  it can be life threatening.

My thyroid numbers are normal,  so it may be something with thyroid like symptoms and could even be affecting thyroid function in some way but might not be originating from the thyroid.

If it is Hemolytic Anemia,  it could be very bad because it's related to other serious diseases too.  Anyway,  that's what I found.  Think I will post a question about Hemolytic Anemia.

Thank you again for your response.

Ask doctor about Ehrlichia and Babesia----I can't remember the "particulars"----but they may have something to do with "wacko" results.

I have very LOW ferritan (iron stores) however, my hemo is very good.

It has been a mystery for 2+ years until they just told me that it is due to my virals I have. EBV, CMV and HHV6 & 7.

Viruses feed off of iron..hence no stores...but my body is producing (hemo) plenty.

Maybe you should have your virals tested too!

http://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pmc/articles/PMC2717717/

"Ferritin in Iron Deficiency

Clinically, serum ferritin is most commonly obtained in combination with other iron parameters to gauge the iron status of a specific patient. Of the various laboratory values within an iron panel, the serum ferritin is the most useful in diagnosing iron deficiency. Though bone marrow biopsy with iron staining remains the gold standard, a low serum ferritin (< 12 ug/L) is highly specific for iron depletion. Only two conditions other than iron deficiency are known to lower serum ferritin; hypothyroidism and ascorbate deficiency. Even when present, they rarely confound the clinical interpretation of ferritin.10 In clinical practice, the use of a higher cutoff value for ferritin is recommended when screening for iron deficiency. Specifically, a cut-off of 40 ug/L improves diagnostic sensitivity in patients whose conditions are not complicated by infections or inflammation. In one study, 25% of women with absent stainable bone marrow iron had serum ferritin levels greater than 15 ug/L.11"

keeping in ming that TSH level for healthy population is between 1 -1.5 it is wortwhile to undertand what it means that your Thyroid number "came back normal".

My son had low ferritin levels when before his celiac diagnosis. We kept giving him iron supplements, and his hemaglobin was good, but the iron stores wouldn't go up (ferritin). It took him one year post gluten for the ferritin to reach normal range.

Hi I too read this post from 2009. My ferritin is 23 (10-154), but my iron is 177! (40 - 175) - so low ferritin, high iron. I have been taken an iron supplement for the past 5 years.

For the past 5- 14 years I have had a variety of health problems that seem to keep growing, but can be explained by stress and age, etc and are not life threatening including: hair loss, severe and constant back/neck pain, poor circulation & extremely cold hands and feet (painful), varicose veins, fatigue, and random infrequent, but incapacitating stomach/gastrointestinal movements. I have a stressful job and a stressful family so most doctors have explained my symptoms based on these. I even quite my job in NYC to see if they were right, but nothing went away after a year of unemployment.

The stomach issues were fixed when I went gluten free (although I tested negative to celiac via blood and colonoscopy). The fatigue, hairloss, and extremely cold extremities were mitigated, but not cured when my gynecologist diagnosed hypothyroidism and prescribed synthroid. She practices functional medicine and found out I have been hypothyroid for years when categorized by the functional medicine interval, but "normal" when compared to the regularly suggested interval that my internist always used. The neck and back pain never stops and gets worse with stressful events.

Only after taking and iron supplement coupled with vitamin c for the past 2 years and knowing someone with hair loss should have a ferritin level of at least 77 to not have hair loss have I finally built up enough iron to show that something isn't right b/c my iron is too high, but my ferritin never changes.

The reason I mention all of this is b/c I've read a few articles that discuss low ferritin and high iron related to hypothyroidism and celiac. So this makes sense to me and also supports evidence for something bigger going on like an autoimmune disorder - which is when your body attacks itself and therefore causes a lot of deficiencies. Since I am on the cusp and not technically neither one of these things to a traditional doctor, but I am presenting many symptoms that interfere with my life and have been mitigated by treatment of these conditions, I think it is important to pay attention to all of your symptoms even when doctors do not see them as related.

I don't have any other info, but I plan to see a hematologist on my gynecologist's recommendation, so I will let you know if I learn anything. Please also let me know! Hope this was helpful...if not supportive to staying inquisitive and open minded with the end goal of believing you should feel healthy and good!

My 23 yr old daughter had iron of 178 ferritin of 40. Multiple complaints, hair loss, joint pain, fatigue, leg pain, depression, generally just weak. I have hypothyroidism but her tpo tested negative. Took her to a hematology doctor but no diagnosis, though I think he could have run several more tests...
It's really like to hear what updated you have!

That's what I first thought but she tested negative. I'm thinking a slew of different possibilities... Wondering if that's the case ( lyme ) with most people

Which is the height and weight of your daughter?

I heard once that low BMI is the main reason why someone has low ferritin, and that few pounds more would do miracles.
But it looks like your daugher has normal BMI, although it is near lower limit.
I don't know more about it, sorry.

I'm thankful for any help! Thank you