Medical Diagnosis Exams

The total iron content of the body is about 3 to 3.5 g. Of this amount about 2.5 g is contained in erythrocytes or their precursors in the bone marrow. Plasma contains only about 2.5 mg of iron. Iron is transported as Fe(III) bound to the plasma protein apotransferrin.

The apotransferrin-Fe(III) complex is called transferrin. Normally only about one third of the ironbinding sites of transferrin are occupied by Fe(III). The additional amount of iron that can be bound is the unsaturated (or latent) iron-binding capacity (UIBC). The sum of the serum iron and UIBC represents total iron-binding capacity (TIBC).

TIBC is a measurement for the maximum iron concentration that transferrin can bind. The serum TIBC varies in disorders of iron metabolism. In iron-deficiency anemia the TIBC is elevated and the transferrin saturation is lowered to 15 % or less. Low serum iron associated with low TIBC is characteristic of the anemia of chronic disorders, malignant tumors, and infections.