Iron studies
The panel
- Four measured, one derived:
- Ferritin - storage iron. Acute phase reactant
- Serum iron - transferrin-bound iron at that instant. Diurnal, meal- and dose-dependent - almost useless alone
- Transferrin / TIBC - carrying capacity. Rises in deficiency, falls in inflammation and malnutrition
- Transferrin saturation (TSAT) = serum iron / TIBC. The best single index of iron supply to the marrow
- Soluble transferrin receptor (sTfR) - cellular iron hunger. Not an acute phase reactant
- Ferritin = stores. TSAT = supply. They can dissociate - that dissociation is the whole diagnostic yield
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