IRON, TOTAL

IRON, TOTAL

The serum iron test measures the amount of iron in your blood. The total iron-binding capacity (TIBC) test looks at how well the iron moves through your body.

Iron is an important mineral that your body needs to stay healthy. Your body uses iron to make hemoglobin. This is the protein in your red blood cells that carries oxygen around your body. If you don't have enough iron, you may not have enough hemoglobin. This is called iron deficiency anemia.

Symptoms of iron deficiency include:

• Being tired and feeling weak
• Getting frequent infections
• Feeling cold all the time
• Having swelling in the tongue
• Struggling to keep up at school or work
• In children, having delayed mental development

Iron in your body is carried, or bound, mainly to a protein made by your liver called transferrin. The TIBC test is based on certain proteins, including transferrin, found in the blood. Your transferrin levels are almost always measured along with iron and TIBC. 

 You may need this test to look at your diet, nutrition, liver, or other conditions that cause iron to be low, such as blood loss or pregnancy. However, it is also possible to have too much iron. Symptoms of too much iron can include: feeling tired & weak, joint pain, and belly pain.