Tiredness/Fatigue Profile

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.

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.

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 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.

UIBC measures the unused capacity of transferrin to bind additional iron. It is interpreted with serum iron and TIBC when assessing iron status.

Free T4 measures the unbound form of thyroxine, one of the main hormones produced by the thyroid gland. It is interpreted with TSH to assess thyroid function.

TSH is produced by the pituitary gland and signals the thyroid to make thyroid hormones. It is one of the main markers used to assess whether the thyroid is underactive or overactive.

Vitamin D is important for calcium regulation, bone and muscle health and normal immune function. Low levels are common in the UK, particularly after winter or in people with limited sun exposure.

CRP is a protein produced by the liver in response to inflammation. It can rise with infection, inflammatory disease and tissue injury but does not identify the cause on its own.

Haematocrit is the proportion of blood volume made up of red blood cells. Low values can occur with anaemia, while high values may be seen with dehydration or increased red-cell production.

Haemoglobin is the oxygen-carrying protein inside red blood cells. Measuring it is central to identifying anaemia and other disorders that affect the blood’s ability to carry oxygen.

MCHC shows the average concentration of haemoglobin within red blood cells. It helps classify different patterns of anaemia.

MCH measures the average amount of haemoglobin in each red blood cell. It is used with other red-cell indices to help classify anaemia.

MCV measures the average size of red blood cells. Small or large red cells can point toward different causes of anaemia and nutritional deficiency.

MPV reflects the average size of platelets in the blood. It can provide additional information about platelet production and turnover when interpreted with the platelet count.

Platelets are blood cells involved in clot formation. Too few can increase bleeding risk, while very high counts can be associated with inflammation or an increased tendency to clot.

The red cell count measures the number of red blood cells in a given volume of blood. It is interpreted with haemoglobin, haematocrit and red-cell indices when assessing anaemia or increased red-cell production.

RDW measures how much red blood cells vary in size. Increased variation can help distinguish between different causes of anaemia and nutritional deficiency.

The white cell count measures the total number of white blood cells, which form an important part of the immune system. Levels can change with infection, inflammation, bone-marrow conditions and some medicines.