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Immunoassay reagents intended to perform qualitative and/or quantitative analyses on a body fluid sample (typically serum) to determine the level of ferritin, an iron-apoferritin complex, one of the main forms of iron storage in the body. Ferritin is present in the blood in very low concentrations, but it usually reflects the variation in the total iron body stores. Decreased levels of ferritin are found very early in the development of iron deficiency in otherwise healthy patients; increased levels of ferritin are associated with chronic infections, rheumatoid arthritis, renal diseases, a variety of malignancies , viral hepatitis, and other diseases.
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