Ferritin and Hypothyroidism

In this post, I'll cover everything you need to know about ferritin and hypothyroidism. The ferritin test is a simple blood test, and it is one of the most important tests you should have if you have Hashimoto’s disease, Graves’ disease, and hypothyroidism. Ferritin is a storage form of iron, and the ferritin level test can tell you if your iron stores are low and need to be increased. The ferritin test is rarely ordered by conventional doctors, so many patients are left with the signs and symptoms of hypothyroidism when it is actually their low ferritin levels that are causing their health problems. The first issue with iron is that iron deficiency may be quite severe, but blood markers such as hemoglobin and the red blood cell count may be normal. This leaves many patients, especially women, misdiagnosed as not having anemia. What are the symptoms of low ferritin? Weakness Fatigue Difficulty concentrating Poor work productivity Cold hands and feet Poor short-term memory Difficulty remembering names Dizziness Pounding in the ears Shortness of breath Brittle nails Headaches Restless legs The above symptoms overlap with Hashimoto’s disease and hypothyroidism, so it can be difficult to ascertain what is causing the symptoms. What causes iron deficiency and low ferritin? A lifelong history of blood loss due to heavy menstrual bleeding, blood donations, pregnancies, surgeries, accidents, atrophic gastritis, antacid medications, and celiac disease. If you have gut problems that are causing malabsorption of nutrients, then your ferritin levels may be low. Additionally, if someone is a high-level athlete or vegan/vegetarian, they are also at risk for low iron. These lead to excessive loss of iron or poor absorption of iron, leading to low ferritin levels. What are optimal ferritin levels for thyroid health? Once ferritin gets below 30, this is considered iron deficiency, despite the fact that the lower end of the laboratory cut-off range is usually 10-20. However, even the ferritin level can be normal, around 50-100, and the patient may still actually be iron deficient. This makes the diagnosis somewhat tricky in certain cases. According to Dr. Esa Soppi of the Eira Hospital in Helsinki, Finland, optimal ferritin levels for hypothyroidism are >100 and iron therapy should be continued until symptoms have resolved. He also recommends that the ferritin level should be checked regularly to be sure the levels stay normal. He also states that if someone has restless leg syndrome and their ferritin is