Ferritin
Ferritin reflects your body's iron stores. Low levels indicate iron deficiency (even before anaemia develops), while very high levels may suggest iron overload, inflammation, or liver disease.
12 hours
Turnaround
Blood
Sample
What the Ferritin test tells you
Ferritin is the protein shell your cells use to store iron safely. Iron is essential but chemically reactive, so the body locks it inside ferritin in the liver, spleen and bone marrow rather than leaving it loose. A small amount of ferritin leaks into the bloodstream in proportion to how much iron is stored, which is why serum ferritin is the single best routine indicator of your iron reserves. It also falls early: stores are drawn down well before haemoglobin drops, so ferritin can reveal iron depletion before anaemia has developed.
The important complication is that ferritin is also an acute-phase reactant. Its production rises during inflammation, infection, recent surgery, liver disease, excess alcohol, obesity and some cancers, entirely independently of iron. This means a normal or even high ferritin does not rule out iron deficiency when inflammation is present, and it is the most common reason a deficiency is missed. Doctors work around it by reading ferritin alongside a marker of inflammation such as CRP, together with transferrin saturation and the full blood count.
A high ferritin is interpreted the other way around. True iron overload, from hereditary haemochromatosis or repeated transfusions, does raise it, but inflammation and fatty liver disease are far more common explanations in everyday practice. Separating them relies on transferrin saturation and, when overload remains likely, genetic testing or imaging. A low ferritin, by contrast, is close to conclusive for depleted stores, and in an adult it always deserves an explanation, because the underlying cause of the loss matters as much as the number.
Essential for diagnosing iron deficiency anaemia, monitoring iron supplementation, and investigating iron overload conditions like haemochromatosis.
Ferritin falls before haemoglobin does, so it can identify iron deficiency at a stage when the blood count still looks normal.
It is the key test for deciding whether an anaemia is caused by lack of iron rather than by another mechanism.
Stores refill more slowly than haemoglobin recovers, so ferritin is what shows whether a course of iron has actually replenished reserves.
A persistently high ferritin prompts your doctor to look for iron overload, liver disease or ongoing inflammation.
Reasons your doctor may request the Ferritin test
Your doctor may order this test for any of the reasons below. Some are routine checks, others follow specific symptoms or an earlier result.
Anaemia & its symptoms
Anaemia or a falling haemoglobin found on a blood count.
Symptoms under investigation such as breathlessness on exertion, restless legs or reduced exercise tolerance.
Diet, blood loss & absorption
Heavy menstrual bleeding, pregnancy, or frequent blood donation.
A vegetarian or vegan diet, or a condition affecting absorption such as coeliac disease or previous gastric surgery.
Iron treatment & iron overload
Monitoring oral iron tablets or an intravenous iron infusion.
A family history of haemochromatosis, or a raised transferrin saturation found on other tests.
No fasting window — pick any slot that suits you, online or on WhatsApp.
A DHA-licensed nurse collects your sample at home or in the office — free home collection.
A physician-reviewed, easy-to-read report lands securely by WhatsApp and email.
Ferritin reflects the body's stored iron.
Ranges are a guide — your physician interprets your result alongside your symptoms and history.
What a higher result can point to
- Iron overload from hereditary haemochromatosis or repeated blood transfusions.
- Inflammation or infection of any kind, since ferritin behaves as an acute-phase protein.
- Liver disease, including fatty liver, hepatitis and alcohol-related injury.
- Obesity and metabolic syndrome, which produce a chronic low-grade inflammatory state.
- Some cancers, particularly lymphoma, and rare severe immune-activation syndromes.
- Recent iron supplementation, an iron infusion or a transfusion shortly before the sample.
What a lower result can point to
- Chronic blood loss, most often menstrual or from the gastrointestinal tract.
- Insufficient dietary iron, particularly on a diet with little or no meat.
- Malabsorption from coeliac disease, gastric or bariatric surgery, or long-standing gastritis.
- Increased demand during pregnancy, breastfeeding, childhood growth or endurance training.
- Frequent blood donation without adequate iron replacement.
These are possibilities, not diagnoses. A single value outside the reference range is interpreted alongside your symptoms, history and other tests — your doctor decides what it means for you.
What this test cannot tell you
- Ferritin is an acute-phase reactant, so inflammation, infection, liver disease and malignancy raise it independently of iron; a normal or high result therefore does not exclude iron deficiency when inflammation is present.
- No single ferritin result establishes iron overload, which needs transferrin saturation, a repeat measurement and often genetic testing before it can be addressed.
- The test shows that stores are low but never why, so a low result in an adult always requires the cause of the loss to be investigated.
Risks of the blood draw
- Mild bruising or brief soreness where the needle went in.
- Occasional lightheadedness, which settles after a few minutes of rest.
- Bleeding or infection at the site, which is rare with sterile single-use equipment.
- 1Ferritin reflects stored iron rather than the iron circulating in your blood at that moment.
- 2It falls before haemoglobin, making it the earliest routine sign of iron depletion.
- 3It rises with inflammation, so it is read alongside a marker such as CRP.
- 4A high result is more often explained by inflammation or fatty liver than by true iron overload.
- 5A low ferritin in an adult always needs a cause to be identified, not just supplements.
Frequently Asked Questions
Everything you need to know about the Ferritin test. Can't find what you're looking for?
Talk to our team→Yes. Inflammation from infection, injury, chronic disease or obesity pushes ferritin up regardless of iron stores, so a reassuring value in an unwell person can mask deficiency. This is why doctors check an inflammatory marker alongside it.
Usually not. Inflammation, fatty liver and alcohol are far more common explanations. Genuine iron overload is suggested when transferrin saturation is also raised, and confirming it needs repeat testing and often a genetic test.
Because stores empty first. Your body will keep haemoglobin steady by drawing on reserves, so ferritin can be low while the blood count still looks entirely ordinary, and that is the point at which treatment is simplest.
Not immediately. Haemoglobin responds first and stores refill much more slowly, so your doctor will usually allow a full course of treatment to take effect before rechecking, and will ask you to pause the supplement before the sample.
Ferritin reflects your body's iron stores. Low levels indicate iron deficiency (even before anaemia develops), while very high levels may suggest iron overload, inflammation, or liver disease.
Essential for diagnosing iron deficiency anaemia, monitoring iron supplementation, and investigating iron overload conditions like haemochromatosis.
No, fasting is not required for the Stored Iron test, so you can eat and drink normally beforehand.
The Stored Iron test uses a blood sample, collected quickly by our DHA-licensed phlebotomist with minimal discomfort.
Results for the Stored Iron test are typically ready within 12 hours. You will receive a secure digital report, and your Smart Report highlights anything outside the normal range.
The Stored Iron test is AED 219, which includes free home sample collection and a physician-reviewed report. You can also build a custom panel and pay only for the markers you choose.
Yes. A DHA-licensed phlebotomist can collect your sample at home or the office anywhere in Dubai at no extra cost, 7 days a week. See how it works.
It is commonly chosen by adults & teens. If you are not sure it is right for you, our care team is happy to advise.
Add the Stored Iron test to your cart and complete the short booking wizard, choosing home collection or a lab visit. Guest checkout lets you book without creating an account.
Yes. It is processed at our EIAC-accredited laboratory (ISO 15189:2022) under DHA license 0046381 and verified by board-certified pathologists.
Every report includes reference ranges and plain-language notes. If you have questions, our care team can arrange a clinician review — just get in touch.
Absolutely. Add it to a curated health package or bundle it with any of our 160+ biomarkers, often from a single sample in one visit.