Clinical Utility

Iron(non-heme) measurements are used in the diagnosis and treatment of diseases such as iron deficiency anemia, hemochromatosis (a disease associated with widespread deposit in the tissues of two iron-contained pigments, hemosiderin and hemofuscin, and characterized by pigmentation of the skin), and chronic renal disease. Transferrin is the major iron carrying protein in the serum.

Serum iron concentration connotes the Fe (III) bound to serum transferrin and does not include the iron contained in serum as free hemoglobin. Because normally only about one third of the iron binding sites of transferrin are occupied by Fe (III), serum transferrin has considerable reserve Iron Binding Capacity. This is called the serum Unsaturated Iron Binding Capacity (UIBC).