Iron studies
Iron studies assess circulating and stored iron and how effectively iron is carried in the blood. Low iron can contribute to anaemia, fatigue, weakness and other symptoms.
Ferritin
Ferritin is the main storage protein for iron and is commonly used to estimate the body’s iron stores. It can also rise during inflammation, so results are interpreted alongside other iron markers and clinical context.
Iron
Serum iron measures iron circulating in the blood at the time of testing. It is interpreted with ferritin, transferrin or binding-capacity measures to assess iron deficiency or excess.
Total iron-binding capacity (TIBC)
TIBC estimates the blood’s capacity to bind and transport iron, largely through transferrin. It helps distinguish different patterns of iron deficiency and iron overload.
Transferrin saturation
Transferrin saturation estimates the percentage of iron-binding sites on transferrin that are occupied by iron. It helps assess whether the body has too little or too much circulating iron.
Unsaturated iron-binding capacity (UIBC)
UIBC measures the unused capacity of transferrin to bind additional iron. It is interpreted with serum iron and TIBC when assessing iron status.
