QuestionI have two separate questions for you. I am a 31 year old female.
The first is regarding iron & anemia. For the past couple of years I've had extremely low ferritin and low iron serum. I've been taking OTC iron supplements and my doctor said it looked as if it was pure iron deficiency. My levels have been checked periodically and basically stayed the same with each test, but never affecting my hematocrit or hemoglobin until my most recent test. My ferritin is now normal, but my iron serum is 48 which she said is low and now my hematocrit is low at 36.7 (said normal was 37). In March 2010 it was 40.8 on the same reference range (37.0-51.0). My doc is putting me on prescription iron/vitamins and will recheck again in 6 weeks. Is this anything to be worried about? Could it simply be due to menstruation or is this more indicative of a chronic illness or malignancy?
My second question is regarding my FT4 level. I have suffered from anxiety and depression for many years but it's never been so bad I couldn't handle it. Until this past March when it seemed to spiral out of control. I've also lost over 39lbs in the past year without trying. The psych thinks it's due to the anxiety and depression but wanted me to have my thyroid checked just to be sure. In June of this year the FT4 level was 1.11 (reference 0.61-1.12) but two years ago in May of 2008 my FT4 was 0.85 with the same lab and same reference range. Could this change, and the fact that my level is now so close to the upper end of the range, be of any significance?
And I guess then there's the question of could these two things, coupled with the weight loss, be related in some way?
Thanks in advance!
Answerwhen someone is iron deficient, we must look for the cause.... in a guy, the cause is usually blood loss through the stomach/intestines. In a woman, it is usually from menstrual blood loss. It is very unlikely to be from some type of cancer, but it is easy enough to check the stool for occult blood on a couple different occasions.
by FT4, I assume you mean free T-4, the thyroid hormone. Those are both normal... it will fluctuate, so a difference isn't significant. The important test for thyroid evaluation is the TSH.... thyroid stimulating hormone. If that is between 0.5 and 1.5, it is perfect. As it creeps up to 4, it is becoming abnormal and needs to be evaluated in context with other labs and your symptoms. But the Free T4 is normal, and I don't see any connection with the blood loss.
