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Interprets ferritin with transferrin saturation, raising the ferritin threshold to 100 ng/mL when inflammation is present as guidelines advise.
Iron deficiency thresholds
Absolute iron deficiency: ferritin <30 ng/mL (or <100 with inflammation) with transferrin saturation <20%. Functional deficiency: normal or high ferritin with saturation <20%
Educational estimate only. Not a substitute for professional clinical judgement, and must not be used to make treatment or dosing decisions.
Ferritin is an acute phase protein, so it rises with inflammation independently of iron stores.
Low ferritin is highly specific for iron deficiency; transferrin saturation adds information about iron available for erythropoiesis.