Is a ferritin of 15 low?
A ferritin of 15 ng/mL (µg/L) is low. Under 15 is iron deficiency on almost every lab's range, and 15 to 30 is low enough to cause tiredness and hair loss in many people, especially women who have periods.
A low ferritin is treated with iron, usually tablets every other day for three to six months, and the cause is looked for: heavy periods, a diet without much iron, or less often a bleed from the gut.
Ferritin rises with inflammation and infection, so a normal result during an illness can hide a real deficiency. A repeat when well, with a CRP, settles it.
Source: MedlinePlus, ferritin blood test
See a doctor promptly if
- Iron deficiency in any man, or in any woman past the menopause, without an obvious bleeding cause
- Black tarry stools, visible blood in stool, or vomiting blood or material like coffee grounds
- Iron deficiency with unintentional weight loss, a change in bowel habit lasting over three weeks, or a family history of bowel cancer
- Breathlessness at rest, chest pain, fainting, or a resting heart rate persistently above 100
- Periods needing hourly pad or tampon changes, passing clots larger than a coin, or flooding through clothing and bedding
- Pica. Craving and eating ice, clay, chalk or raw rice
Try the result lookupone number, free, nothing to installType the number you are holding and it lands in a band, with what usually happens next.
Answered by the AskDoc Medical Team · Medically reviewed under our Medical Director, MBBS · How we review
Only after a blood test
If a blood test shows low ferritin, iron tablets rebuild your stores over three to six months. Do not self-dose without the test: in men and women past menopause, low iron needs its cause found first, because it can signal hidden bleeding.
Buying through this link supports the free library with a small commission. It never changes a pick.
Have your own result?
Send the report. A doctor explains every value in writing within 3 days.
People also ask
Health education, not medical advice.