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Test Code FERI Ferritin

Important Note

This test may be affected by biotin interference. Patients on high dose biotin (5mg/day or more) should not have samples drawn until at least 24 hours after the last biotin administration.

Specimen and Container/Tube

Specimen Type: Plasma

Preferred Specimen: Li-Heparin Mint Green Top

Other Acceptable specimens: Gold Top SST, Red Top

Specimen Stability

Storage Temperature

Stability

Room Temperature

48 hours

Refrigerated

7 days

Frozen

12 months

Collection Instructions

Collect specimen per standard laboratory collection procedures. 

 

Specimen Handling and Transport Instructions

UCMC Onsite Instructions: 

  • Collect specimen per standard collection procedure and send to laboratory immediately. 

 

UCMC Offsite and UC MedLab Outreach Instructions: 

  • Samples should be centrifuged within 2 hours of collection.
  • Centrifuge specimens at >2500 x g for 10 minutes at room temperature.
  • Aliquot sample into plastic transport tube containing a minimum of 0.2 mL of specimen.
  • Samples must be sent refrigerated. 

Rejection Criteria

  • Common specimen rejected situations include: incorrect specimen type, insufficient volume, missing or incomplete specimen identifiers, incorrect specimen transport, or specimens outside stability limits. 
  • Specimens that are clotted or grossly hemolyzed.
  • Specimens that were transported unspun/whole blood and draw time is greater than 6 hours

Reference Values

Test

Age

Sex

Reference Range

Ferritin

All

Males

20 - 300 ng/mL

Ferritin

All

Females

10 - 220 ng/mL

Note: Reference ranges are based on in-house studies performed at the Univeristy of Chicago Medicine by the Clinical Chemistry Laboratories per the Roche cobas 8000 modular analyzer series e 801 System Installation Workbook and the e 801 FERI product insert.  

Critical Values

Not applicable 

Turnaround Time

Turnaround times are relative to the time the specimen is received in the test laboratory. 

 

STAT Turnaround Time: Not available as STAT test

Routine Turnaround Time: 4 hours

Testing Schedule:  24/7

Clinical Indications

The determination of ferritin is a suitable method for ascertaining the iron metabolism situation. Determination of ferritin at the beginning of therapy provides a representative measure of the body’s iron reserves. A storage deficiency in the reticulo-endothelial system (RES) can be detected at a very early stage.

Test Components

Ferritin

CPT Codes

82728

LOINC Codes

2276-4

Methodology

Electrochemiluminescence immunoassay (ECLIA) (Roche Diagnostics)

Synonyms/Keyword Search

FERR, FERI

Additional Information

  • Results should always be assessed in conjunction with patient's medical history, clinical examination and other findings.
  • Clinically, a threshold value of 20 μg/L (ng/mL) has proved useful in the detection of prelatent iron deficiency. This value provides a reliable indication of exhaustion of the iron reserves that can be mobilized for hemoglobin synthesis. Latent iron deficiency is defined as a fall below the 12 μg/L (ng/mL) ferritin threshold. These two values necessitate no further laboratory elucidation, even when the blood picture is still morphologically normal. If te depressed ferritin level is accompanied by hypochromic, microcytal anemia, then manifest iron deficiency is present.
  • When the ferritin level is elevated and the possibility of a distribution disorder can be ruled out, this is a manifestation of iron overloading in the body. 400 μg/L (ng/mL) ferritin is used as the threshold value. Elevated ferritin values are also encountered with the following tumors; acute leukemia, Hodgkin's disease and carcinoma of the lung, colon, liver and prostate.
  • The determination of ferritin has proved to be of value in liver metastasis.
  • In rare cases, interference due to extremely high titers of antibodies to analyte-specific antibodies, streptavidin or ruthenium can occur.

Last Review Date

6/5/2025

Volume

Preferred Volume: 0.5 mL

Minimum Volume: 0.2 mL

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