In the human body, a variety of changes can occur, which often affect even the external appearance of the patient. In this article, I want to talk about a situation when a person has lowered ferritin: why this can be, what it means and how to cope with this problem.
What it is?
At the very beginning, you need to understand the main terms that will be used in the article. So, ferritin is a special protein complex consisting of 24 units. It is the so-called "iron depot" in the human body. It is ferritin that shows the level of stock of this microelement in the body, and also takes care of the proper level of its maintenance.
It is also worth mentioning that this protein complex is synthesized in the cells of organs representing the reticular endothelial system. That is, it is found in all fluids and cells of the body.
Blood analysis
To find out about the state of this protein complex in the body, the patient needs to donate blood. Important: you need to take this analysis on an empty stomach, without eating anything before that for 8 hours. As a result, one of three conclusions can be obtained: ferritin is lowered, increased, or is normal.
Norm
In order to better understand the indicators, you need to know what is the norm of this protein complex in the body. If we talk about children, then the numbers will be as follows:
- Newborns: 25-200 mcg / L.
- Children 1 month of life: 200-600 mcg / l.
- Children from 6 months to 15 years: 30-140 mcg / l.
If we talk about adults, the range of normal indicators here will be significantly wider:
- Men: 20-350 mcg / L.
- Women: 10-150 mcg / L.
Pregnancy
Some women may be concerned about the question: "Why is ferritin lowered during pregnancy?" In fact, this is a completely normal condition. In addition, I want to say that by the end of pregnancy it will become as low as possible. This is due to the fact that the mother shares with her baby the iron necessary for his development. After the birth process, after a certain time, all the indicators in a woman are normalized. However, often the symptoms of iron deficiency in women in the first months of life remain crumbs.
- First trimester: 56-90 mcg / L (reduced ferritin).
- Second trimester: 25-74 mcg / l (the level of this protein complex has fallen even more).
- Third trimester: 10-15 mcg / L (ferritin level is at the lowest level).
About lowering
Many people may ask, "If ferritin is low, what does this mean?" It is worth a little talk about this condition. So, our body is able to produce only 7% of this trace element. A person must receive the rest from the outside, that is, from food and food products. If this does not happen, the level of ferritin decreases. In this case, iron is consumed in a sufficiently large amount. It happens that ferritin is lowered, hemoglobin is normal. Such indicators can be preserved if this microelement has just recently begun to "fall". For a certain time , the hemoglobin level will remain normal. If you cope with the problem in time, these indicators will not change. However, if ferritin continues to fall further, after a certain time, hemoglobin levels will also change.
Main reasons
If a person has lowered ferritin, the reasons for this may be as follows:
- If we talk exclusively about women, then in them this can occur due to too heavy menstrual bleeding.
- As already mentioned above, during pregnancy, these indicators fall significantly (especially in the third trimester of bearing a baby).
- Diet. When else can ferritin in the blood be lowered? If a person is on a diet for a long time, in which only one food is eaten. At the same time, I would also like to say that it is very difficult to cope with this problem in this situation. By correcting the diet, everything is not limited.
- Iron-deficiency anemia. This is a condition when the level of iron in the human body is not high enough, as a result - ferritin is lowered.
- Celiac disease. This is an acute intolerance to cereal crops. However, this affects not only the level of ferritin, but also all metabolic processes occurring in the body.
About hair condition
If a person has lowered ferritin for a long time, hair loss is the first symptom that should alert. So, under the influence of this microelement, the hair bulb is fed. If all indicators are normal, then its strength is increased, everything functions normally, and hair loss does not exceed the norm. If iron is not sufficiently accumulated, the curls begin to fall out uncontrollably and in large quantities. Indeed, in this case, the body simply redirects ferritin to the more necessary spheres of the body, to maintain vital organs. Hair begins to suffer in the first place, because their nutrition in this case becomes inferior.
What to do?
So, ferritin is lowered. What does it mean - figured out. However, I also want to say a few words about how to deal with this problem. The diagnostic method is only one - you need to take a blood test. And only by the results of this research method can we try to take certain measures. What will be relevant here?
- If ferritin is lowered, treatment may consist of taking a vitamin-mineral complex. The doctor can prescribe these drugs if the protein level is slightly reduced, and you can increase the level of iron without medication. So, these funds are assigned at least a couple of months. You also need to remember that as a control of the state of ferritin, you will periodically have to take a blood test.
- Food. Nutrition alone can provoke a condition where ferritin is lowered. Treatment in this case is to normalize the diet. So, on the table to the maximum often should be: beef, pork, chicken yolk. These are products in which iron is found in large quantities. A little less than this trace element in foods such as spinach, apples, currants, rice, cabbage, chicken. And products such as pomegranate, citrus fruits, strawberries and grapes contain even less iron , but they also need to be eaten periodically.
- Medications. A doctor can prescribe medications only if the level of ferritin is very low and it is impossible to cope even with vitamins. Here it is worth saying that you need to take all iron-containing drugs only with the appointment of a doctor. Otherwise, you can greatly harm your health.
The normal level of ferritin in the blood is of great importance not only for the growth and condition of the hair, but also for the work of all metabolic processes in the body. So if necessary, it is better to seek the help of a doctor. This is the only way to cope with the disease without harming your body even more.