Interpreting Iron Studies
Iron is an important mineral that is involved in red blood cell metabolism and oxygen transport. Iron studies are used to identify iron deficiency or overload states, and are a common test performed as part of the anaemia screen.
Aspects of Iron Studies
Total Serum Iron
Ferric (Fe³⁺) ions bound to serum transferrin
10-30 µmol/LFerritin
Intracellular iron storage protein
15 - 300μg/LTotal Iron Binding Capacity (TIBC)
The amount of iron that can be bound to serum protein
Approximates transferrin
Transferrin
Plasma transport protein that binds to iron
1.5 - 3.2 g/LTransferrin Saturation (TSat)
Percentage of transferrin bound to iron
M: 15 - 45%
F: 15 - 55%