Tiredness, light headed. History of being iron deficient. Blood test normal except low ferritin. Does he need an iron supplement?
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My 17 year old son has been feeling over tired, light headed when he gets up too quickly and looks a bit pale, he has a history of being slightly iron deficient, had loads of tests for reasons, but all came back normal, it just seems to dip now and again. We had his blood tested last week. Most things were normal including haemoglobin and ferritin levels but still a bit on the low side for ferritin. MCV = 82 (83.0 - 99.0) neutrophils (Abs) = 1.7 (2.0 - 7.0) Haemoglobin = 15.2 (13.0 - 18.0) Ferritin = 50.9 (28 - 365). The doctor just filed the results - so no treatment recommended. Does he need an iron supplement?
Posted Thu, 14 Jun 2012
in General Health
Answered by Dr. Rakhi Tayal 3 hours later
Hello,
Thanks for posting your query.
From the reports you have mentioned, he does not seem to be iron deficient now. So, iron replacement or supplements are not required right now.
To raise the ferritin levels, you can concentrate on giving him more of XXXXXXX vegetables and protein. Adding regular vitamin C supplements will help in better iron absorption and prevent relapses of anemia. This will also help to boost his immunity.
You can also add a multivitamin and multimineral supplement to his daily regimen to get over the feeling of tiredness.
Hope this answers your query. I will be glad to answer the follow up queries that you have.
Please accept my answer in case you do not have further queries.
Wishing you good health.
Regards.
Dr. Rakhi Tayal.
Thanks for posting your query.
From the reports you have mentioned, he does not seem to be iron deficient now. So, iron replacement or supplements are not required right now.
To raise the ferritin levels, you can concentrate on giving him more of XXXXXXX vegetables and protein. Adding regular vitamin C supplements will help in better iron absorption and prevent relapses of anemia. This will also help to boost his immunity.
You can also add a multivitamin and multimineral supplement to his daily regimen to get over the feeling of tiredness.
Hope this answers your query. I will be glad to answer the follow up queries that you have.
Please accept my answer in case you do not have further queries.
Wishing you good health.
Regards.
Dr. Rakhi Tayal.
Follow-up: Tiredness, light headed. History of being iron deficient. Blood test normal except low ferritin. Does he need an iron supplement? 8 hours later
What does it mean then if his mcv and his neutrophils are low?
Answered by Dr. Rakhi Tayal 7 hours later
Hello.
Thanks for writing again.
His MCV and absolute neutrophil counts are just borderline decreased. These will recover spontaneously and are not worrisome at all. Such minor variations are within physiological limits and do not indicate any pathology.
Hope my answer is helpful.
Do accept my answer in case there are no further queries.
Regards.
Thanks for writing again.
His MCV and absolute neutrophil counts are just borderline decreased. These will recover spontaneously and are not worrisome at all. Such minor variations are within physiological limits and do not indicate any pathology.
Hope my answer is helpful.
Do accept my answer in case there are no further queries.
Regards.
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