Test your
Ferritin-to-Albumin Ratio (FAR)
Looking for an easy way to test and monitor your Ferritin-to-Albumin Ratio (FAR)?
It's included in the HealthieOne Complete test.
Ferritin-to-Albumin Ratio (FAR)
Explanation: The Ferritin-to-Albumin Ratio (FAR) compares ferritin, an iron-storage protein that also rises during inflammation, to albumin, a protein made by the liver that decreases when the body is under stress, inflamed, or nutritionally depleted. Ferritin increases in response to inflammation and infection, while albumin decreases in those same conditions. FAR is increasingly used as a sensitive marker of systemic inflammation, illness severity, and metabolic stress.
Test purpose:
- Assess disease severity and prognosis: in critical conditions like sepsis, pneumonia, and acute-on-chronic liver failure.
- Monitor inflammation and treatment response: Tracks resolution of inflammatory states (e.g., in COVID-19, infections, or autoimmune flares) and nutritional recovery, guiding interventions like anti-inflammatories or nutritional support.
- Screen for hidden systemic stress: Identifies subclinical inflammation or metabolic strain in chronic diseases (e.g., peritoneal dialysis patients, rheumatoid arthritis, or non-COVID pneumonia), where ferritin elevation or albumin depletion may signal progression before symptoms worsen.
- Evaluate nutritional and inflammatory balance: Helps differentiate true iron overload/deficiency from inflammation-driven ferritin rises, or malnutrition from illness-related hypoalbuminemia.
Note: Universal clinical reference ranges have not been established for this calculated marker. Available cutoffs vary by population and clinical context. This value should be interpreted alongside individual component values, clinical history, and other relevant biomarkers.
An aspect of Vitamins and Minerals.