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Lab Results

I recently had labs completed because I had a spinal X-ray that showed osteopenia.  The lab work reported low Vitamin D and high serum iron.  Should I be concerned about this?  I will be starting RX vitamin D supplementation and wil be getting a DEXA scan to confirm the osteopenia.   Should I get additional labs done if so which ones?
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Avatar universal
Osteopenia are common in post menopause women.Decrease in bone density leading to osteoarthritis.IF you have low vitamin D in your blood  you cannot absorb the needed calcium for your bones.Regarding your elevated RBC it depends how elevated it is.Follow-up with your Doctor.
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1756321 tn?1547095325
A full iron panel is needed at the very least:

Iron
TIBC/Transferrin UIBC
%Transferrin
Saturation
Ferritin

Causes of high iron levels:
Haemochromatosis  (rare genetic condition)
Haemolytic anaemia
Sideroblastic anaemia
Iron poisoning

A good link to check out of on iron test results and diagnosis >>> http://labtestsonline.org/understanding/analytes/serum-iron/tab/test

Vitamin D deficiency is one of the world's most common deficiency states however i found an article on pubmed about vitamin D deficiency and haemochromatosis. The results of the study revealed that the low serum 25-OHD concentration in patients with hemochromatosis is directly related to the extent of iron loading and it is improved by venesection therapy. Venesection therapy is removal of excess iron.  About 450ml of blood is removed once a week until the iron stores are in the low normal range, as determined by the serum ferritin concentration. This may take 6 to 12 months and then done approximately every 3 months to maintain the serum ferritin between 50 and 100ug/L.

When iron levels are high, it can accumulates in the body and eventually lead to serious problems such as:

* arthritis
* liver disease, including an enlarged liver, cirrhosis, cancer, and liver failure
* damage to the pancreas, possibly causing diabetes
* heart abnormalities, such as irregular heart rhythms or congestive heart failure
* impotence
* early menopause
* abnormal pigmentation of the skin, making it look gray or bronze
* thyroid deficiency
* damage to the adrenal glands

Iron overload >>>
http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Iron_overload

Haemochromatosis >>>
http://digestive.niddk.nih.gov/ddiseases/pubs/hemochromatosis/

Low serum 25-hydroxyvitamin D in hereditary hemochromatosis: relation to iron status >>>
http://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pubmed/3838288
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