Iron is an important mineral needed by the human body to carry oxygen as part of hemoglobin in the blood and myoglobin in the muscle. It is essential for proper immune function, temperature regulation, energy metabolism and cognitive development. According to the Iron Disorders Institute, iron deficiency is the leading cause of anemia worldwide. It is a common condition resulting from inadequate iron in the body. To diagnose iron deficiency, your physician will perform a series of tests.
Complete Blood Count
One of the most common blood tests performed by physicians is the complete blood count, or CBC. This test measures many parts of your blood including hemoglobin and hematocrit. Mean corpuscular volume is also included and measures the average size of your red blood cells. A CBC checks the number of red blood cells, white blood cells and platelets in your blood. The normal range of these levels varies by race and ethnicity. However, abnormally low levels are an indication of an infection, blood disorder or iron deficiency. It can also help distinguish the cause of anemia.
Hemoglobin
Hemoglobin is the iron-rich protein in red blood cells that carries oxygen to your body. Hemoglobin levels fall below normal when your body decreases its production of red blood cells, increases its destruction of red blood cells or if blood is lost due to bleeding. A low hemoglobin level is a sign of iron deficiency anemia.
Hematocrit
Another effective indicator of an iron deficiency is hematocrit. Hematocrit is the percentage of your blood volume made up by red blood cells, or the measure of how much space red blood cells take up in your blood. Decreased hematocrit levels are a sign of anemia, such as that caused by iron deficiency. Other conditions that might lower your hematocrit include vitamin or mineral deficiencies, blood loss, cirrhosis of the liver and malignancies.
Serum Ferritin
Ferritin is a protein responsible for the storage of iron in your body. This test is used to determine how much of your stored iron has been used. This test is one of the early indicators of depleted iron levels and is most often performed in conjunction with other iron tests such as a CBC. Serum ferritin is an important test as it helps distinguish between iron deficiency anemia and anemia of chronic disease.
Transferrin
Transferrin is a protein that carriers iron within your blood. This test, also known as total iron-binding capacity, measures how much of the transferrin in your blood is not carrying iron. Transferrin levels will be high if you are iron deficient, indicating transferrin is circulating in your blood, but not carrying iron.
Reticulocyte Count
This test measures the number of reticulocytes in your blood. Reticulocytes are young, immature red blood cells produced by your bone marrow. Reticulocytes eventually become mature red blood cells responsible for carrying oxygen throughout your body. A reticulocyte count measures how fast these immature cells are produced. If you are iron deficient, reticulocytes are made too slowly in the bone marrow to reach a normal level.
Zinc Protoporphyrin
Zinc protophorphyrin is precursor to the iron containing hemoglobin. If there is insufficient iron in your body, another metal such as zinc will attach to the protophorphyrin instead. This causes an increase of zinc in red blood cells and a decrease in iron. This test is not specific to iron and must therefore be used in conjunction with other iron deficiency diagnostics.
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