/Re: Ferritin

[Guest guest]

Nelly,

Did taking antbx bring your iron levels back up?

Marcia

Re: /Re: Ferritin

Teena,

Have you (or your doctors!) ever thought of trying to find the CAUSE of your

ferritin being low, and getting low again after your iron stores have been

repleted?

My ferritin was extremely low (7-range 20-200).Taking iron if your ferritin is

low because of a chronic infection will only feed the bugs (the ones that thrive

on iron). The only mode of intervention that made it rise significantly

was...taking antibiotics, not iron. I rest my case.

Nelly

[Guest guest]

Hi, Teena.

I think it's more likely that you have a combination of iron

deficiency anemia and anemia of chronic disease. The reason I say

that is that in pure anemia of chronic disease, the serum ferritin

level is normal or elevated, not low. Low ferritin indicates iron

deficiency. However, your inability to efficiently use iron to make

hemoglobin for new red blood cells, as you've reported, suggests

anemia of chronic disease. It is not uncommon for both to be

present.

The mechanism of anemia of chronic disease is that chronic

inflammation produces cytokines that cause the reticuloendothelial

system (monocytes and macrophages) to hold onto iron, instead of

releasing it to be used to make new heme. If I had to guess, I

would say that the reason for this is to keep bacteria that might be

causing inflammation from getting iron, which they need. (I should

tell you that I think this system was designed, and that there are

reasons why it was designed the way it was! I realize that most of

the biological establishment does not share that view.)

I'm not sure why you have iron deficiency. This can be caused by

malabsorption of iron by the gut or more rapid loss of iron than

normal. Heavy periods can be responsible for the latter in women.

Other possibilities include diseases involving the gut that lead to

blood loss in the stools. It's a good idea to try to figure out why

you're low in iron, because some of those gut-related problems can

be quite serious (such as cancer or Crohn's disease). A stool test

for occult iron might be a good idea, if you haven't had one lately.

Rich

Rich

>

> Hi :

>

> Since right before I was diagnosed with CFS, I started to have

issues

> with my ferritin levels being very low. It is my understanding that

> ferritin levels relate more to the body's iron stores. My Hct has

also

> tended to be low; being in the range of 32-35 (which as a female

makes me

> anemic). I have seen the diagnosis on my chart of " anemia of

chronic

> disease " . I guess I am wondering if a significant number of other

PWCs

> have low ferritin also and what would be the mechanism of " anemia

of

> chronic disease " . I am currently receiving IV iron therapy (INFED)

to

> build my iron stores back up. This has happened twice. The iron

therapy

> seems to help some when I have gotten it -but not as much as one

would

> expect. I have tried some other things (DHEA x 1 month, Trans-D-

Tropin

> for two months). So far, nothing has really seemed to have much

effect on

> me. It gets discouraging & expensive.

>

> Teena