What's wrong with low ferritin?
Ferritin is an important protein that stores iron in the human body, and its level directly reflects the iron reserves in the body. In recent years, low ferritin has become one of the hot topics in the health field. This article will combine the hot content on the Internet in the past 10 days to analyze the causes, symptoms and countermeasures of low ferritin.
1. What is ferritin?

Ferritin is a soluble protein found mainly in the liver, spleen and bone marrow and is responsible for storing excess iron in the body. When the body requires iron, ferritin releases iron for use in physiological processes such as erythropoiesis.
| indicator | normal range | clinical significance |
|---|---|---|
| Male ferritin | 20-300ng/mL | Below 20 may indicate iron deficiency |
| Female ferritin | 10-200ng/mL | Less than 10 may indicate iron deficiency |
| Ferritin for pregnant women | ≥15ng/mL | Increased needs during pregnancy |
2. Common causes of low ferritin
According to recent hot discussions on medical and health topics, low ferritin is mainly due to the following reasons:
| Reason type | specific factors | Proportion (discussion popularity in the past 10 days) |
|---|---|---|
| nutritional factors | Insufficient iron intake, vegetarianism, weight loss and dieting | 35% |
| malabsorption | Gastrointestinal diseases, post gastrectomy | 25% |
| Excessive blood loss | Heavy menstruation, gastrointestinal bleeding, frequent blood donation | 20% |
| other factors | Pregnancy, strenuous exercise, chronic diseases | 20% |
3. Typical symptoms of low ferritin
Discussions about the symptoms of iron deficiency have been heated recently on social media. The following are the symptoms most frequently mentioned by netizens:
•Fatigue: Caused by insufficient oxygen supply to the body (42% of discussions)
•Dizziness and headache: Symptoms of brain hypoxia (28% of discussions)
•palpitations, shortness of breath: Compensatory acceleration of the heart (18% of discussions)
•pale skin: Reduced hemoglobin (12% of discussions)
4. Recent hot spot prevention and control plans
Based on the health content on the entire Internet in the past 10 days, the following prevention and treatment plans are the most discussed:
| Improvement methods | Specific measures | heat index |
|---|---|---|
| diet conditioning | Red meat, animal liver, spinach, black fungus | ★★★★★ |
| Nutritional supplements | Iron + vitamin C combined supplement | ★★★★☆ |
| lifestyle | Avoid strong tea/coffee that affects iron absorption | ★★★☆☆ |
| medical intervention | Severe iron deficiency requires intravenous iron supplementation | ★★☆☆☆ |
5. People who need special attention
According to recent medical and health big data, the following groups of people need to pay more attention to ferritin levels:
1.Women of childbearing age: Menstrual iron loss + increased demand during pregnancy (hot search index 78)
2.teenager: The demand for iron is large during the growth and development period (hot search index 65)
3.athlete: Large iron loss (hot search index 57)
4.Chronic disease patients: Such as inflammatory bowel disease (hot search index 49)
6. Latest research trends
Recent academic research on ferritin has made these new discoveries:
• Ferritin levels are closely related to immune function (latest research in Nature)
• Long-term low ferritin may increase the risk of cardiovascular disease (JAMA sub-journal report)
• The research and development of new iron supplements focuses on absorption rate and gastrointestinal tolerance (2024 drug research and development hot spots)
Warm reminder:The content of this article is compiled from recent Internet hot spots and is for reference only. If abnormal ferritin is suspected, it is recommended to seek medical examination promptly and have a professional doctor conduct evaluation, diagnosis and treatment.
check the details
check the details