Ferritin Test Glossary of Terms

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Abnormal: Outside the expected norm, or uncharacteristic of a particular patient.

Absorption: Uptake. For example, intestinal absorption is the uptake of food (or other sub...

Acute: Of abrupt onset, in reference to a disease. Acute often also connotes an illness th...

Acute phase reactant: See: Acute-phase protein.

Anemia: The condition of having a lower-than-normal number of red blood cells or quantity ...

C-reactive protein: An acute-phase plasma protein whose blood concentration reflects the p...

Cell: The basic structural and functional unit of any living thing. Each cell is a small c...

Cirrhosis: Liver disease characterized by irreversible scarring. Alcohol and viral hepatit...

CRP: C-reactive protein.

Diabetes: Refers to diabetes mellitus or, less often, to diabetes insipidus. Diabetes mell...

Diagnosis: 1 The nature of a disease; the identification of an illness. 2 A ...

Dizziness: Painless head discomfort with many possible causes including disturbances of ...

Dysfunction: Difficult function or abnormal function.

Erythrocyte: A cell that contains hemoglobin and can carry oxygen to the body. Also called...

Fatigue: A condition characterized by a lessened capacity for work and reduced efficiency ...

Ferritin: The major protein concerned with iron storage. The blood ferritin level serves a...

Heart: The muscle that pumps blood received from veins into arteries throughout the body. ...

Heart failure: Inability of the heart to keep up with the demands on it and, specifically...

Hemochromatosis: An inherited disorder characterized by abnormally high absorption of iron...

Hemoglobin: The oxygen-carrying pigment and predominant protein in the red blood cells. He...

Inflammation: A localized reaction that produces redness, warmth, swelling, and pain as a ...

Iron: An essential mineral. Iron is necessary for the transport of oxygen (via hemoglobin ...

Iron deficiency anemia: A common form of nutritional disorder, iron deficiency results in...

Iron overload: Iron overload can damage the heart, liver, gonads and other organs.

Joint: The area where two bones are attached for the purpose of permitting body parts to m...

Laboratory: A place for doing tests and research procedures, and for preparing chemicals a...

Liver: The largest solid organ in the body, situated in the upper part of the abdomen on t...

Medical history: 1. In clinical medicine, the patient's past and present which may ...

Menstruation: The periodic blood that flows as a discharge from the uterus. Also called me...

Normal range: Characteristic of 95 percent of values from a normal population. The remaini...

Oxygen: The odorless gas that is present in the air and necessary to maintain life. Oxygen...

Pain: An unpleasant sensation that can range from mild, localized discomfort to agony. Pa...

Protein: One of the three nutrients used as energy sources (calories) by the body. Protein...

Red blood cells: The blood cells that carry oxygen. Red cells contain hemoglobin and it is...

Sedimentation rate: A blood test that detects and monitors inflammation in the body. Abbre...

Serum: The clear liquid that can be separated from clotted blood. Serum differs from plas...

Shortness of breath: Difficulty in breathing. Medically referred to as dyspnea. Shortness ...

Testicles: The testicles (also called testes or gonads) are the male sex glands. They are ...

Vein: A blood vessel that carries blood that is low in oxygen content from the body back t...