Up to 24 hours
Sandwich Immunoassay
Accredited NRL Laboratory
Daily
Ferritin is the primary biomarker used to quantify total body iron storage. It is useful for differentiating iron deficiency anemia from anemia of chronic disease, identifying iron overload disorders e.g. hemochromatosis, and evaluating systemic inflammation, as ferritin also acts as an acute-phase protein.
Ferritin results should be interpreted alongside C-Reactive Protein (CRP; Test code: 11037), to aid with interpretation.
Serum or Plasma
0.5 mL
Serum (SST; Gold Top or plain serum; Red Top) Lithium Heparin Plasma (Green Top)
Patients should avoid taking multivitamins or dietary supplements containing biotin (vitamin B7) for 12 hours prior to specimen collection.
This test does not require any special collection or pre-analytical handling. Follow routine specimen collection protocols.
| Temperature | Period |
|---|---|
| Refrigerated | 7 days at 2-8°C |
| Frozen | 12 months |