How do you dx IDA?

How do you dx IDA?

• A. CBC
• B. Serum ferritin, TIBC
• C. Serum iron
• D. Transferrin saturation

Answer: (B)

Iron deficiency anemia is diagnosed most reliably with iron studies that reflect body iron stores and transport capacity. Ferritin indicates how much iron is stored in the body, and in iron deficiency it falls. Total iron-binding capacity rises as the body makes more transferrin to capture available iron, so TIBC increases. When ferritin is low and TIBC is high, this pattern strongly points to iron deficiency anemia. Serum iron alone can be variable and affected by recent meals or inflammation, and transferrin saturation depends on both iron and TIBC, making it less specific on its own. Therefore, the combination of ferritin and TIBC provides the clearest diagnostic picture for IDA.

Iron deficiency anemia is diagnosed most reliably with iron studies that reflect body iron stores and transport capacity. Ferritin indicates how much iron is stored in the body, and in iron deficiency it falls. Total iron-binding capacity rises as the body makes more transferrin to capture available iron, so TIBC increases. When ferritin is low and TIBC is high, this pattern strongly points to iron deficiency anemia. Serum iron alone can be variable and affected by recent meals or inflammation, and transferrin saturation depends on both iron and TIBC, making it less specific on its own. Therefore, the combination of ferritin and TIBC provides the clearest diagnostic picture for IDA.