Clinical applicability and usefulness of ferritin measurements.

The accurate measurement of ferritin in the serum was first reported in 1972. Since then, the assay has become widely available to clinicians. However, the role of this assay in the diagnosis and treatment of various diseases is still poorly defined. Serum ferritin levels are clearly useful in the diagnosis of simple iron deficiency. Hepatic disease, malignancies, and other chronic diseases can cause an elevation in serum ferritin which does not represent an elevation in body iron stores. While markedly elevated in late hemochromatosis, the value of serum ferritin in the detection of early hemochromatosis or the carrier state is not certain.