1. What is the Iron Profile test?
An iron profile is made up of several blood tests that give information about the iron in your blood. The iron profile analyzes the total amount of iron in your blood. It also checks to see if the iron is attaching to the protein as it should. The iron profile may also tell how much iron is present in the body besides what is in red blood cells. An Iron Profile shows how much iron is stored in the tissues. Serum Iron Profile includes Serum Iron (Fe), Total Iron Binding Capacity, and % Transferrin Saturation.
2. When is the Iron Profile test recommended?
It is recommended:If you have any symptoms of increased accumulation of iron in the body, like joint pain, abdominal pain, fatigue, loss of body hairIf you have any signs or symptoms of iron deficiency anemia, like pallor, fatigue, weakness, headaches,If your CBC shows that your hemoglobin and hematocrit are low and your RBCs are smaller and paler than normal, which usually suggests iron deficiency anemia
3. What does it measure?
The Iron Profile test: Measures the total amount of Iron in the liquid portion of the blood, nearly all of which is bound to transferrin.TIBC (total iron-binding capacity) measures the total amount of iron that can be bound by proteins in the blood. The TIBC test is a good indirect measurement of transferrin availability since it measures the amount of transferrin that is available to bind to iron.UIBC (unsaturated iron-binding capacity). This test determines the reserve capacity of transferrin, i.e., the portion of transferrin that has not yet been saturated with iron.Transferrin saturation divides the iron concentration by the TIBC and produces an estimate of how many transferrin iron-binding sites are occupied; this is called transferrin saturation. Under normal conditions, transferrin is typically one-third saturated with iron. This means that two-thirds of its capacity is held in reserve.
