Managing raised ferritin in primary care
Stewart, Stuart Evans, William Turnbull, Iain Bradbury, Charlotte Hayward, Judith
Stewart, Stuart
Evans, William
Turnbull, Iain
Bradbury, Charlotte
Hayward, Judith
Affiliation
University of Manchester; Northern Care Alliance, Greater Manchester; University of Nottingham; Yorkshire Regional Genetic Service; University of Oxford; University Hospitals Bristol and Weston; St George's University London; South Warwickshire University NHS Foundation Trust; University of Warwick
Other Contributors
Publication date
2023-07-26
Collections
Research Projects
Organizational Units
Journal Issue
Abstract
What you need to know
Raised levels of ferritin can be associated with several serious underlying conditions and should be investigated appropriately
Determine whether raised ferritin reflects iron overload or another disease process
Initial tests for investigating raised ferritin in primary care are fasting transferrin saturation, full blood count, liver blood tests, and C reactive protein
Assess patients for organ damage associated with iron overload to determine further investigations, management, and whether the patient needs to be referred to secondary care
Haemochromatosis is a common genetic condition that can cause iron overload, and primary care clinicians can order HFE gene mutation analysis to diagnose the condition
Citation
Stewart S, Evans W, Turnbull I, Bradbury C, Hayward J, Shearman J. Managing raised ferritin in primary care. BMJ. 2023 Jul 26;382:e076750. doi: 10.1136/bmj-2023-076750.
Type
Article