Iron tests

Iron tests are groups of clinical chemistry laboratory blood tests that are used to evaluate body iron stores or the iron level in blood serum.

Other terms used for the same tests are iron panel, iron profile, iron indices or iron status.

Tests

• Serum iron
• Ferritin
• Transferrin
• Total iron-binding capacity (TIBC)
• Transferrin saturation (Iron saturation of transferrin)
• Unsaturated iron binding capacity (UIBC)
• Transferrin receptor (TfR)

Related tests

• Complete blood count (CBC), especially:
  • Hemoglobin, EVF or total red blood cells (RBC count)
  • Mean corpuscular volume (MCV)
  • Mean corpuscular hemoglobin (MCH) or MCHC

Diagnosis

IRON PANEL	Serum iron	Transferrin and TIBC	Transferrin saturation	Ferritin	Transferrin receptor	Related tests
						Hb	MCV
Iron deficiency anemia	35px	35px	35px	35px	35px	35px	35px
Iron overload (hemochromatosis)	35px	35px	35px	35px	35px*	Normal
Anemia of chronic disease	35px	35px	35px	35px*	35px*	35px
Porphyria cutanea tarda (PCT)	35px	35px	35px	35px	Normal
Thalassemia	35px	35px	35px	35px	35px	35px
Sideroblastic anemia	35px	35px	35px	35px	35px*	35px
Megaloblastic anemia	35px	35px	35px	35px	35px	35px	35px
Hemolytic anemia	35px*	35px*	35px*	35px*	35px	35px
Pregnancy or use of hormonal contraception	Normal	35px	35px

* = or normal.