Forget ‘ferritin face’ — experts explain the truth about iron deficiency - CP24

More people are low in iron than in any other micronutrient, according to the American Society of Hematology. But many live with fatigue, weakness, brain fog and other symptoms for months or years before a deficiency is caught. Nearly one-third of adults in the United States may be iron deficient, according to a 2024 study. And routine screening among children and pregnant women — who are at high risk — may miss more than 70% of cases. Some people online are self-diagnosing, citing dark under-eye circles and pale skin as evidence that they are low in iron. Social media influencers call the look “ferritin face,” named after a protein that stores the element in the body. Iron deficiency is common, prevalent and underrecognized, said Dr. Ariela Marshall, associate professor of medicine at the University of Minnesota. New diagnostic recommendations, which ASH released in September, aim to ensure more patients secure early treatment. The difference between iron deficiency and anemiaAnemia is a condition that occurs when there are not enough red blood cells to carry oxygen to the body’s organs and tissues.

Name: Ferritin face. Age: The name is new, but the symptoms are old. Symptoms: Pallor, dull skin, dark circles under your eyes. Looking washed out, basically. What are you, a mirror? Oh no, does this describe you? Do you also have ferritin face? Aren’t those just symptoms for “looking tired”? Is this one of those social media health scares with little to no scientific basis? No! I mean, yes, the term has recently become very popular on social media, as reported in the Washington Post. Ferritin face is not a real medical term (nor are there consistent criteria that define it) – but ferritin at least is definitely a thing. Tell me about ferritin, then. It’s a complex globular protein that stores iron in the body in its inactive form. If you have low ferritin levels, it could indicate an iron deficiency. And what happens if I have an iron deficiency? If it is severe and goes untreated for long enough, it could lead to tachycardia, breathlessness, chest pain and heart complications. This is terrible! How can I cure myself?

ORCID: orcid.org/0000-0002-3666-39521, Yuki Hyodo1, Ichiro Kurakazu1, Taisuke Uchida1, Ryota Hirose1, Masanari Kuwahara1, Takumi Kita1, Koki Kato1, Li Ziyang1, Gai Eto1 & … Yasuharu Nakashima1 We’re sharing this article early to provide faster access to peer-reviewed, accepted research. It is citable and carries a permanent DOI. This version is subject to further edits and will be replaced automatically by the final Version of Record. All legal disclaimers apply.

Primary adrenal insufficiency in childhood is frequently associated with inherited disorders. Lipoid congenital adrenal hyperplasia due to steroidogenic acute regulatory protein (StAR) deficiency is a rare disorder characterized by impaired mitochondrial cholesterol transfer and deficient adrenal and gonadal steroidogenesis. We report a five-year-old child raised as a girl who had been diagnosed with primary adrenal insufficiency at three months of age and was receiving hydrocortisone and fludrocortisone. Physical examination showed female-appearing external genitalia without virilization and Tanner stage I development. Biochemical evaluation demonstrated markedly elevated adrenocorticotropic hormone with profoundly low morning cortisol and globally reduced steroidogenesis, including low 17-hydroxyprogesterone, androstenedione, dehydroepiandrosterone sulfate, and free testosterone. Karyotyping revealed 46,XY. Anti-Müllerian hormone and inhibin B concentrations were compatible with preserved Sertoli cell secretory activity and supported the presence of testicular tissue despite severely impaired androgen production. A contrast-enhanced abdominal and pelvic magnetic resonance imaging

Selenium deficiency is a rare but reversible cause of cardiomyopathy increasingly recognized as a late nutritional complication of bariatric surgery, yet it is not consistently included in routine postoperative surveillance. This report describes a 40-year-old woman who presented three years after Roux-en-Y gastric bypass (RYGB) with progressive dyspnea, weakness, lower extremity edema, and dizziness in the setting of nonadherence to postoperative nutritional supplementation. She was hypotensive and bradycardic with jugular venous distension, elevated B-type natriuretic peptide (BNP), and chest imaging showing cardiomegaly with a right-sided pleural effusion. Echocardiography revealed severe, isolated right ventricular and atrial dilation with reduced right-sided systolic function, and further evaluation identified a markedly low serum selenium level (25 µg/L) with normal thyroid function and other trace elements. She was treated with intravenous selenium repletion (150 µg/day) alongside inotropic and diuretic support, with rapid hemodynamic improvement and complete resolution of right ventricular and atrial dilation on repeat echocardiography within one week. This case illustrates