Iron tests are groups of
clinical chemistry laboratory
blood tests
A blood test is a laboratory analysis performed on a blood sample that is usually extracted from a vein in the arm using a hypodermic needle, or via fingerprick. Multiple tests for specific blood components, such as a glucose test or a cho ...
that are used to evaluate
body iron stores or the
iron
Iron is a chemical element; it has symbol Fe () and atomic number 26. It is a metal that belongs to the first transition series and group 8 of the periodic table. It is, by mass, the most common element on Earth, forming much of Earth's o ...
level in
blood serum.
Other terms used for the same tests are iron panel, iron profile, iron indices, iron status or iron studies.
Tests
*
Serum iron
Serum iron is a medical laboratory test that measures the amount of circulating iron that is bound to transferrin and freely circulate in the blood. Clinicians order this laboratory test when they are concerned about iron deficiency, which can ca ...
*
Ferritin
Ferritin is a universal intracellular and extracellular protein that stores iron and releases it in a controlled fashion. The protein is produced by almost all living organisms, including archaea, bacteria, algae, higher plants, and animals. ...
*
Transferrin
Transferrins are glycoproteins found in vertebrates which bind and consequently mediate the transport of iron (Fe) through blood plasma. They are produced in the liver and contain binding sites for two Iron(III), Fe3+ ions. Human transferrin is ...
*
Total iron-binding capacity
Total iron-binding capacity (TIBC) or sometimes transferrin iron-binding capacity is a medical laboratory test that measures the blood's capacity to bind iron with transferrin. Transferrin can bind two atoms of ferric iron (Fe3+) with high affinit ...
(TIBC)
*
Transferrin saturation
Transferrin saturation (TS), measured as a percentage, is a medical laboratory value. It is the value of serum iron divided by the total iron-binding capacity of the available transferrin, the main protein that binds iron in the blood, this value t ...
(Iron saturation of transferrin)
*
Unsaturated iron binding capacity (UIBC)
*
Transferrin receptor (TfR)
Related tests
*
Complete blood count (CBC), especially:
**
Hemoglobin
Hemoglobin (haemoglobin, Hb or Hgb) is a protein containing iron that facilitates the transportation of oxygen in red blood cells. Almost all vertebrates contain hemoglobin, with the sole exception of the fish family Channichthyidae. Hemoglobin ...
,
EVF or total
red blood cells (RBC count)
**
Mean corpuscular volume (MCV)
**
Mean corpuscular hemoglobin (MCH) or
MCHC
Diagnosis
* = or normal.
See also
*
Reference ranges for blood tests#Ions and trace metals, for
reference ranges for tests above
References
{{Reflist
Iron Level Blood Test - Personal Home Medical Tests - testnord.co.uk Blood tests
Iron metabolism