Verhoogd Ferritine Oplossingen

High Ferritin: When Iron Levels Become a Problem

Iron level concerns have gotten complicated with most cyclists worrying about low iron while missing the opposite problem. As someone whose blood work showed ferritin through the roof, I learned everything there is to know about a condition I’d never heard of.

My problem was the opposite of what you usually read about.

What Ferritin Actually Is

Probably should have led with this section, honestly. Ferritin is the protein that stores iron in your body. High ferritin means your body is storing too much iron. Normal ranges vary, but generally men should be under 300-400 ng/mL and women under 150-200 ng/mL. Athletes sometimes run higher without problems, but significantly elevated levels warrant attention.

Why It Happens

Hemochromatosis: A genetic condition where your body absorbs too much iron from food. More common than most people realize, especially in people of Northern European descent. Often goes undiagnosed for years.

Inflammation: Ferritin is also an acute-phase protein that rises during inflammation. Chronic conditions, infections, or even intense training stress can elevate levels temporarily.

Liver issues: The liver stores iron. Liver disease or damage can release stored ferritin into the bloodstream.

Over-supplementation: Taking iron supplements when you don’t need them. Some athletes do this thinking more iron equals more performance. It doesn’t work that way.

Symptoms to Watch For

Early stages often have no symptoms. As iron accumulates, you might experience joint pain, fatigue (ironically similar to low iron), abdominal discomfort, irregular heartbeat, or a bronze/gray skin tone in severe cases.

Many athletes chalk up fatigue to training when it’s actually an iron problem – either direction.

The Testing

A basic ferritin test plus transferrin saturation gives a clearer picture than ferritin alone. Elevated ferritin with high transferrin saturation suggests true iron overload. Elevated ferritin with normal transferrin saturation might indicate inflammation.

If hemochromatosis is suspected, genetic testing confirms it. The HFE gene mutation is the most common cause.

Treatment

The primary treatment is therapeutic phlebotomy – basically blood donation on a schedule. Removing blood forces your body to use stored iron to make new red blood cells, gradually reducing iron levels.

For mild cases, regular blood donation accomplishes the same thing while helping others. For diagnosed hemochromatosis, you might need more frequent draws initially.

Dietary changes help: reduce red meat and iron-fortified foods, avoid vitamin C with meals (it enhances iron absorption), limit alcohol (stresses the liver).

Implications for Athletes

Iron overload damages organs over time – heart, liver, joints, pancreas. For active people, this means potential cardiac issues, joint problems that affect training, and diabetes risk.

The good news: caught early and managed properly, high ferritin is very treatable. People with hemochromatosis live normal lives with regular monitoring and phlebotomy.

What I Did

That’s what makes understanding high ferritin endearing to us who’ve dealt with it. My elevated levels turned out to be inflammation-related from overtraining, not hemochromatosis. Backing off intensity and addressing recovery brought levels down over several months. But the genetic test ruled out the more serious cause, which was worth knowing.

If your blood work shows high ferritin, don’t ignore it. Follow up with your doctor for proper testing. It might be nothing serious, but if it’s hemochromatosis, early treatment prevents the complications that make it dangerous.