Welcome to the forum! We do have a couple of members with high Ferritin levels that have had to resort to blood letting. Sandy, "UCBGal" also has Thalassemia minor and it's all affected by the Ferritin overload. I'm sure she'll chime in once she reads this. Blood letting itself is a simple process and is quite effective. Your Ferritin level while high isn't extremely high. I remember Sandy's being in the thousands. She achieved SVR and with treatment, I know she has been getting her Ferritin under control.
Keep us informed of your progress with treatment. The new medications are extremely effective, have you been told when or what drug protocol you will begin? The Electron studies showed great potential for GT 3. The future looks very bright for all genotypes. Keep in touch and let us know how things progress. Good luck!
Tig
smiley said
May 29, 2014
hy, new to this forum. found out i have hepc a year ago.Finally got insurance few mounths ago. Been going to the doctors for the last 6 mounths. My ferritin level is 546, been diag with porphyia iron overload, gastrologist wants me to be bleed before starting hepc treatment. has anyone out there had this done. thanks SMILEY. 51 YRS OLD, HEP FOR 25 YEARS TYPE 3, VL 1330000.
Matt Chris said
Apr 30, 2014
Hi Marcy
As you stated high Ferritin is a indicator of Iron overload in blood and can be another factor in Hep-C. I actually had that same high reading several years ago but with knowing which foods have a high iron content a person can slowly lower the level over a period of months.
Understanding that some foods like Red Meats have a very high Iron content you can avoid them and substitute less iron rich food. Going mostly vegetarian will bring it down faster but just checking out the Iron percentage on everything you eat can guide your choices. There are also other genetic factors that can cause high iron in some people, the medical name is Hemochromatosis which sometimes requires blood letting.
Do your research and devise a plan of action.
matt
Tig said
Apr 30, 2014
Hi,
I agree that the ferritin level increase is likely due to the HCV. Ferritin is an iron carrier, it's a protein that iron binds to in the blood. What is your iron level? It's likely elevated because your ferritin is high. Your body can have difficulty with iron stores with HCV and those that do will see higher levels. As long as your doctor is aware of it and they monitor it in the future, you have little to worry about. I would limit your iron intake (diet) in the meantime and if you're taking a vitamin, make sure it's iron free. We have a lot of information here on the forum, just search "Ferritin" and you'll find previous discussions on the subject. Some of our members have required treatment to reduce their high ferritin levels, but their levels have been in the 1000-2000 range. Good luck...
Tig
Milliganus said
Apr 30, 2014
Hi all,
Just got my most recent lab work done and my ferritin (iron) count is way high (360). I've NEVER had an out of range reading for this. My liver enzymes all were within range except one which wasn't too bad. Anyone know what this means and what I can do to mitigate it if it's a bad thing? My doctor didn't seem concerned and only said that " it's probably caused by your Hep C". (He doesn't know much about hep c).
Hi Smiley,
Welcome to the forum! We do have a couple of members with high Ferritin levels that have had to resort to blood letting. Sandy, "UCBGal" also has Thalassemia minor and it's all affected by the Ferritin overload. I'm sure she'll chime in once she reads this. Blood letting itself is a simple process and is quite effective. Your Ferritin level while high isn't extremely high. I remember Sandy's being in the thousands. She achieved SVR and with treatment, I know she has been getting her Ferritin under control.
Keep us informed of your progress with treatment. The new medications are extremely effective, have you been told when or what drug protocol you will begin? The Electron studies showed great potential for GT 3. The future looks very bright for all genotypes. Keep in touch and let us know how things progress. Good luck!
Tig
Hi Marcy
As you stated high Ferritin is a indicator of Iron overload in blood and can be another factor in Hep-C. I actually had that same high reading several years ago but with knowing which foods have a high iron content a person can slowly lower the level over a period of months.
Understanding that some foods like Red Meats have a very high Iron content you can avoid them and substitute less iron rich food. Going mostly vegetarian will bring it down faster but just checking out the Iron percentage on everything you eat can guide your choices. There are also other genetic factors that can cause high iron in some people, the medical name is Hemochromatosis which sometimes requires blood letting.
Do your research and devise a plan of action.
matt
Hi,
I agree that the ferritin level increase is likely due to the HCV. Ferritin is an iron carrier, it's a protein that iron binds to in the blood. What is your iron level? It's likely elevated because your ferritin is high. Your body can have difficulty with iron stores with HCV and those that do will see higher levels. As long as your doctor is aware of it and they monitor it in the future, you have little to worry about. I would limit your iron intake (diet) in the meantime and if you're taking a vitamin, make sure it's iron free. We have a lot of information here on the forum, just search "Ferritin" and you'll find previous discussions on the subject. Some of our members have required treatment to reduce their high ferritin levels, but their levels have been in the 1000-2000 range. Good luck...
Tig
Hi all,
Just got my most recent lab work done and my ferritin (iron) count is way high (360). I've NEVER had an out of range reading for this. My liver enzymes all were within range except one which wasn't too bad. Anyone know what this means and what I can do to mitigate it if it's a bad thing? My doctor didn't seem concerned and only said that " it's probably caused by your Hep C". (He doesn't know much about hep c).
Thanks.