Iron saturation or transferrin saturation is measured as a percentage. It is calculated by dividing the amount of serum iron by total iron binding capacity (TBIC) – serum iron concentration ÷ total iron binding capacity. A low transferrin saturation percentage may indicate low iron or iron-deficiency anemia.
Similarly, is iron saturation the same as ferritin?
Ferritin isn’t the same thing as iron in your body. Instead, ferritin is a protein that stores iron, releasing it when your body needs it. Ferritin usually lives in your body’s cells, with very little actually circulating in your blood.
People also ask, is low transferrin bad?
However, markedly low transferrin levels indicate severe protein-energy malnutrition. A value less than 100 mg/dL may be considered a reliable index of severe protein-energy malnutrition.
What causes high iron saturation?
Key Points. Secondary iron overload results from excess absorption of iron, repeated blood transfusions, or excess oral intake. The effects of secondary iron overload include liver disease (leading to cirrhosis), skin pigmentation, diabetes, arthropathy, erectile dysfunction, and sometimes heart failure.
What causes low iron saturation?
Iron deficiency anemia is usually caused by blood loss (eg, gastrointestinal, menstrual) but may be due to hemolysis, malabsorption, or increased demand for iron (eg, in pregnancy, lactation, periods of rapid growth in children).
What causes low transferrin?
The most common cause of low transferrin levels is iron overload (excess iron) [26, 10]. Iron overload can be due to iron poisoning (acute), or due to chronic overload due to hereditary disorders such as hemochromatosis, thalassemia, or sickle cell anemia [27, 9].
What does high saturation of iron mean?
A high transferrin saturation results indicates you have too much iron in your body. In iron overload, the transferrin saturation is usually increased from around 30% to over 90%. Potential causes include excessive intake, possibly from iron supplements or multivitamins.
What does low transferrin saturation indicate?
A low transferrin saturation is a common indicator of iron deficiency anemia whereas a high transferrin saturation may indicate iron overload or hemochromatosis.
What does transferrin level mean?
understanding the transferrin test results
High transferrin means the liver is producing more of the protein to use all the iron available in the body. Low transferrin level means the body is absorbing more iron then needed. The results of a typical transferrin test are reported in micrograms per deciliter (mcg/dL).
What does transferrin saturation indicate?
A transferrin saturation test tells us how much iron in the blood is bound to transferrin. A low transferrin saturation usually indicates iron deficiency while a high saturation often confirms haemochromatosis.
What happens if transferrin saturation is high?
Transferrin saturation is decreased with iron deficiency. If the iron level and transferrin saturation are high, the TIBC, UIBC and ferritin are normal and the person has a clinical history consistent with iron overdose, then it is likely that the person has iron poisoning.
What is a high transferrin saturation level?
Serum transferrin saturation.
This test measures the amount of iron bound to a protein (transferrin) that carries iron in your blood. Transferrin saturation values greater than 45% are considered too high.
What is a low iron saturation level?
Transferrin saturation = Iron:TIBC (usually low, at less than 15% in iron deficiency) Ferritin: usually low in iron deficiency. Less than 10 is virtually diagnostic of iron deficiency anemia, while levels between 10 and 20 are suggestive.
What is a normal iron saturation percentage?
Another measurement, called transferrin saturation, checks how many places on your transferrin that can hold iron are actually doing so. Normal values are 15% to 50%. In severe cases of iron-deficiency and anemia, this number may fall below 10%.
What is the difference between transferrin saturation and ferritin?
Serum ferritin level indicates total iron stores, while transferrin saturation value reflects iron transportation, which decreases before anemia develops. In this study, ferritin and transferrin saturation were used to evaluate iron status. Frequent blood donors have been shown to be at risk of iron deficiency (ID).
What is true about ferritin and transferrin?
Although ferritin is an indicator of cellular iron stores in healthy subjects, it provides little information on iron turnover in the body. Transferrin is a “shuttle protein” (24), mainly synthesized in the liver, and its principal role is to transport ionic iron to the liver, spleen, and bone marrow (25).
What level of anemia is severe?
Grade 1, considered mild anemia, is Hb from 10 g/dL to the lower limit of normal; grade 2 anemia, or moderate anemia, is Hb from 8 to less than 10 g/dL; grade 3, or severe anemia, is below 8 g/dL; grade 4, is life-threatening anemia; grade 5 is death (Table).
What should your iron saturation be?
Normal levels are generally between 35.5 and 44.9 percent for adult women and 38.3 to 48.6 percent for adult men. These values may change depending on your age. Hemoglobin.
Why is my body not absorbing iron?
Your body can’t absorb iron.
Conditions like celiac disease, ulcerative colitis, or Crohn’s disease can make it harder for your intestines to absorb iron. Surgery such as gastric bypass that removes part of your intestines, and medicines used to lower stomach acid can also affect your body’s ability to absorb iron.
Why is transferrin low in anemia of chronic disease?
Transferrin, a protein that transports iron, is elevated in iron-deficiency anemia, indicating that the body needs more iron. The total iron-binding capacity (TIBC), an indirect measurement of transferrin, is low in anemia of chronic disease because there is ample iron, but it is not easily available.