Ferritin Eisenmangel: which blood markers matter?

When assessing iron deficiency (ferritin deficiency), several blood markers are relevant. Ferritin is the key storage marker, but it can be falsely elevated during inflammation because it is an acute-phase reactant. Therefore, concurrent measurement of C-reactive protein (CRP) or other inflammatory markers is essential to avoid misinterpretation. Additional important markers include hemoglobin (Hb) to detect anemia, transferrin saturation (TSAT) as a measure of iron availability, and MCV/MCH for red cell indices. A ferritin level below 30 µg/L is a strong indicator of iron deficiency, even without anemia. In chronic disease, soluble transferrin receptor (sTfR) can help differentiate. The evidence for these markers is solid (human-moderate), based on clinical guidelines. Caveat: interpretation requires clinical context; ferritin can be elevated in inflammation, liver disease, or malignancy. MyBody-X tests do not measure these directly but may analyze genetic variants related to iron metabolism.