How To Know If You Have Low Ferritin Levels

To understand the symptoms of low ferritin levels

, it helps to know what ferritin is and what role it plays in your body. Ferritin is an iron storage protein found in the liver, skeletal muscle, bone marrow, and intestinal mucosa. What it does is to keep the iron from being toxic to surrounding cells and keeps it usable as well. Having a sufficient amount of stored iron is essential to the body's function in producing red blood cells. The amount of ferritin in the body is also directly related to how much iron the body is able to store. When the body is not taking in enough iron, particularly the highly absorbable heme iron, this iron storehouse is depleted, reducing ferritin levels.

Common Symptoms of Low Ferritin

A person with low ferritin may notice a wide range of symptoms which they attribute to other things, or the individual symptoms may be so mild that many simply dismiss them. Iron depletion can be a slow process happening over time, and the decline in ferritin can even be symptomless. However, it can be a precursor to anemia, which many of the symptoms of low ferritin levels can mimic. The symptoms may include:

Achiness

Weakness

Fatigue

Dizziness

Headaches

Faster heart rate

Hair loss

Foggy thinking

Memory problems

Loss of sex drive

Depression

Increased irritability

Heartburn

Abdominal pain

Pica, or the compulsive eating of non-food items

Pagophagia, or the compulsive eating of ice

Numbness or tingling of extremities

Common Visual Signs

As well as the symptoms listed above, there are visual symptoms and deficiencies that can show up as well in those that have low levels of ferritin. These symptoms may include:

Easy or excessive bruising

Paleness of skin

Brittle nails

Sores at the corner of the mouth

Addressing Ferritin Deficiency

All it takes to determine if you have low ferritin levels is to go to the doctor and have a simple blood test administered. Speak to your health care provider about maintaining healthy iron levels through recommendations specific to your needs and screenings. Your health care provider can also advise you about eating a healthy diet rich in heme iron, which is found in protein rich foods. This can be found in red meat, chicken, egg yolks, artichokes, leafy greens such as spinach and collards, iron-enriched cereals and grains, mollusks, liver, beans, lentils, chick peas and soybeans. Being able to have an iron supplement to ensure you're taking in the proper amounts of iron ensures you won't have to worry about being anemic.

by: Heide Creduer

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