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Just wondering: with Ferratin level at 352 which I believe is quite high, should I be concerned with my diet and eliminate or decrease foods with high iron? My Gastro doc said she wasn't concerned with the high level when I was first diagnosed with HCV and awaiting treatment. ButI don't know. I go back in in two days for my 4 week check on Harvoni so hopefully will get an updated blood level.

Hello Christine123,

A level of 352 is a bit high, but, as your doctor suggests, probably just needs watching.

It needs to be considered with iron levels, and total iron binding capacity.

Ferritin is an acute phase protein which means the levels we measure are elevated for a variety of reasons - most of them quite harmless.

The significance of high ferritin (as a disease marker) relates to the iron overload disease Haemochromatosis. There is a simple genetic test for this which rules this out.

The treatment for patients with haemochromatosis is simple - we just take a little bit of blood from time to time forcing the body to use up the extra iron to make new red cells.

Thank you, Dr James.
Yes, I believe they did that overload blood work when they checked for a false positive after initial elevated enzymes. I plan to ask the doc today, at my 4 week check, for a CBC, LFT and hopefully a RNA quantitative (viral load?) I think I have that right? Fingers crossed!

Dr James, My doc pretty much parroted today what you said regarding my ferritin level. She did not even feel it necessary to order a blood test to see if the ferritin has gone down, citing my iron levels were normal. It's all good!