Serum Ferritin (SF) Concentrations & Iron Status

The World Health organisation (WHO) explains about iron storage – Iron stores in the body exist primarily in the form of ferritin. The ferritin molecule is an intracellular hollow protein shell composed of 24 subunits surrounding an iron core that may contain as many as 4000-4500 iron atoms. In the body, small amounts of ferritin are secreted into the plasma. The concentration of this plasma (or serum) ferritin is positively correlated with the size of the total body iron stores in the absence of inflammation. A low serum ferritin value reflects depleted iron stores, but not necessarily the severity of the depletion as it progresses.  Click download for the full article.