: Blood transfusion, ferritin and bleeding.

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If a person need regular blood transfusion (like some blood disorders do) but the person also massively bleeding (so often) will they ferritin;

A. High, because the regular blood transfusion give them additional iron.
B. Balance, because they are receiving regular blood transfusion but also bleeding.
C. Low. Because all of iron will eventually leave their body?

I know it might be not as simple as those, but… I’m 5.

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3 Answers

Anonymous 0 Comments

Depends entirely on why they need the transfusions.

If they’re losing blood to the outside world (clotting disorders, bleeding disorders in intestine, etc) then you can transfuse to your hearts content without fear of raising ferritin to toxic levels.

But since ferritin is some kind of longterm iron storage molecule, if the need for transfusions is because the red blood cells keep breaking open in the blood vessels and spilling their contents (sickle cell, thalassemia, etc) then the iron is slowly accumulating in the body with each transfusion, and never being lost entirely. In these cases ferritin can get dangerously high.

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