My iron level in my blood is at a 60. I found this out when I donated blood the other day. And it s always been high for years but I never thought anything of it. The phlebotomist mentioned I should consult with my family Dr. Should a iron level that high for an extended period of time be cause for concern? I do get headaches and joint pain from time to time
Hello, You haven't mentioned the units of measurement. If its in micrograms/L then It's perfectly fine. If its in micromole/L then it's too high. I suppose it's the latter.  In cases like this, you need to measure serum transferring and ferritin as well. If the iron saturation is high (60% or more) and ferritin is very high (more than 500 ng/ml usually) then hemochromatosis is likely.  If your values are lower than monitoring is recommended. Otherwise, you should consult either a hematologist or a gastroenterologist (to consider the option of performing a liver biopsy) for further assessment.  Hope I have answered your query. Let me know if I can assist you further. Take care Chat Doctor.