Why do serum levels of iron increase during an infection?

What is the difference between serum ferritin and serum iron?

• When people refer to low iron does that normally mean the serum iron or serum ferritin levels? my last levels were 11 for serum iron and 35 for serum ferritin. is this low? I have been on iron tablets for 3 months from the doctor

• Answer:

  Can't really help without the units you are measuring your levels in but here goes........ Iron is needed to help form adequate numbers of normal red blood cells, which carry oxygen throughout the body. Iron is a critical part of hemoglobin, the protein in red blood cells that binds oxygen in the lungs and releases it as blood travels to other parts of the body. Low iron levels can lead to anemia, in which the body does not have enough red blood cells. Other conditions can cause too much iron to accumulate in your body. This can produce damage to several organs, including the liver, heart, and pancreas. Iron status is evaluated by several tests that are not always run together. These include: Serum iron - measures the level of iron in the liquid part of your blood. Serum ferritin - reflects the amount of stored iron in your body; ferritin is the main storage protein for iron inside of cells. Transferrin is the protein that transports iron from the gut to the cells that use it. Your body makes transferrin in relationship to your need for iron; when iron stores are low, transferrin levels increase and vice versa. Check this link about blood tests - iron testing is on 2nd page: www.pjonline.com/pdf/cpd/pj_20040403_c…