Can you be iron deficient even with normal haemoglobin levels?
Medical experts explain that iron deficiency can exist even when haemoglobin levels appear normal in routine blood tests. Ferritin levels are a more accurate indicator of iron stores, though they must be interpreted alongside other markers like transferrin saturation.
Why it matters
Understanding the limitations of standard blood tests is crucial for diagnosing hidden iron deficiency, which is highly prevalent among women in India.
Iron deficiency can develop gradually, with the body’s stored iron being depleted before there is a measurable fall in haemoglobin. So, a normal haemoglobin level does not always mean that the body has adequate iron stores.
Steve Thomas A., consultant haemato-oncologist, Apollo Speciality Hospitals, Vanagaram, Chennai, explains that haemoglobin and ferritin measure different things. Haemoglobin is the protein in red blood cells that carries oxygen, while ferritin reflects the body’s iron reserves. The body can maintain haemoglobin for some time by drawing on these reserves. As a result, iron deficiency may be present even when a routine blood test shows normal haemoglobin.
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