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MedHelp Member's Question

Effects of high ferritin levels?

by newb, Nov 01, 2003 12:00AM
Can anyone tell me how high ferritin levels (900+) will effect treatment and our livers? Is this level high enough to require taking action such as chelation therapy or drawing blood?



Also, how long will it take for this level of iron to dissipate on its own in someone who doesn't bleed regularly?



Does high iron cancel out the interferon and ribavirin?



Thanks for your help.
Member Comments (20)

by lackalustre, Nov 01, 2003 12:00AM
the nurse practitioner who comes here Erin may know particulars on that one.  my iron levels have always been on the high side but treatment knocked it down below normal. its now back up into the low norm. level 2 months post tx.

    chelation therapy is not recommended or safe from what ive heard.  check out www.quackwatch.com.      it is a scam.

    i try to avoid red meat, and avoid using cast iron frying pans as compromised livers dont process iron like that real well. i also do not tolerate iron supplements as they make me sick. could never even take prenatal supplements years ago.   let us know what you find out about bloodletting, etc.    you may come up with something  by doing a search on high iron levels with hepatitis c   or something like that. good luck

by MajNeni, Nov 01, 2003 12:00AM
To: Newb
Check out this website:



http://www.scripps.edu/pub/goodsell/pdb/pdb35/pdb35_1.html



It's a good starting point explaining ferritin.  

by Indiana, Nov 01, 2003 12:00AM
I never did like ferrets much. Doesn't surprise me that they would cause problems. I bet they're related to Badgers..........

by scruffy, Nov 01, 2003 12:00AM
To: Indiana
hee hee.

by GI.PA, Nov 01, 2003 12:00AM
People with chronic liver inflammation tend to have a higher level of ferritin in the blood.  Ferritin is termed an "acute phase reactant"...this mean when anything in the body is inflammed, this will be elevated.  



Now, remember having a high ferritin does NOT neccessarily mean you have too much iron deposited in the liver.

This is an important distinction because those with too much iron build up in the liver (hemochromatosis) may need to be treated with theraputic plebotomy (they basically give blood to get rid of the extra iron).  This can usually be clarified by liver biopsy or even some of the newer genetic screening tests.



Having an elevated ferritin in the blood in the setting of a normal biopsy or normal gene studies, does not change what we do.  These are some ongoing studies on this, but the jury is out...this was a hottly debated topic at last years big liver meeting in Boston.



We do reconmend that our patients with chronic liver disease do not take iron in a supplement form, even in a multivitamin.  There is no need to change your dietary intake.



GI.PA

Erin

by newb, Nov 02, 2003 12:00AM
To: Erin § Everyone
With all these dragons and ferretts running around in our blood maybe we should all be going to vets instead of hepatologists! Drugs might be cheaper that way.



Erin, thanks for your response but I'm still unclear about what to do. I didn't have high ferritin or hemochromatosis when I started tx but I started taking a few iron pills to help with the anemia. Looks like I took too many, but they seemed to help with my energy level. So, if the liver is in good shape, the virus gone, but the blood iron levels are high then there's no cause for action or alarm?



Thanks again to everyone for their helpful (or humorous) input.







by Galen, Nov 03, 2003 12:00AM
To: newb
Iron suplements are usually contraindicated on tx unless prescribed by your doc.  Anemeia from tx is almost always hemolyitc not iron defecient.  Excess iron is often stored in the livers of infected patients with negative consequences.

by giddyup, Nov 04, 2003 12:00AM
To: Newbie
Hi Newbie, Just thought I'd say that my levels are a little high{like me} at about 700.I've been told that the levals can be in the thousands.My doc said if I have the hemochromatosis gene then he would consider Phlebotomy. If it was elavated due to  liver damage, then he would just continue to monitor my liver. I think he said that a leval in our range might not signifigantly affect the outcome of tx.So get tested for hemochromatosis but I wouldn't let it bug you too much. Be Well!

by swcslm, Nov 13, 2003 12:00AM
HI NEW TO FORUM MY SISTER BROTHERS 3 ALL HAVE HIGH FERRITIN LEVELS HEMOCHROMOTIS APPARENTLY ARE IN OUR GENES BIG TIME ALL 3 BROTHERS GO FOR REG BLOOD DRAWS MY 25 YEAR OLD NEPHEW HAS CHIRROIS DUE TO HIS. WE HAVE JUST STARTED LEARNING ABOUT THIS AS A SIS DIED FROM HERS WITHOUT KNOWING THAT SHE HAD THIS.MOST DOC DONT WANT TO TAKE BLOOD TEST FOR THIS OR THINK TO UNLESS YOU DEMAND IT,AS IT IS AN EXPENSIVE TEST.IF WE ONLY HAD KNOW.

by scared751, Oct 19, 2007 06:10AM
To: swcslm
my ferritin levels are 1302 and im scared

by anafromtexas, Oct 19, 2007 05:32PM
To: newb
My ferriten level was 1800 at the same time my HGB was 8.4 and thyroid went wacky.  I had to stop tx after just 5 weeks.  I got a new doctor recently that is doing the blood work to check on that and since it has been 5 1/2 months since I quit, I'm hoping the ferritin level has dropped.  I do feel crappy still!  This level did not send off any alarms to any of the three doctors I was seeing before until I went to a new doctor with copies of lab work who immediately did the blood work.  I will find out next month.  

by GoofyDad, Oct 20, 2007 02:02AM
To: High feratin
High feratin on tx is not a major deal, assuming you were ok at baseline re serum and liver iron loads. Basically it originates from the blasted red bloodcells - but I think saturated iron is a lot more complicated that that simple picture.

I had ferratin above 1K  - my major wampum liver head was uninterested. Kept the pedal to the metal - got SVR, and iron returned to normal very quickly.