blood disorders
Iron Deficiency Anemia
Diagnosis of Iron Deficiency Anemia
Blood tests Once blood tests show a person has anemia, tests for iron deficiency are often done. With iron deficiency, the red blood cells tend to be small and pale. Blood levels of iron and transferrin (the protein that carries iron when it is not inside red blood cells) are measured and compared. The most accurate test for iron deficiency is a measurement of the blood level of ferritin (a protein that stores iron). A low level of ferritin indicates iron deficiency. However, sometimes ferritin levels are misleading because they can be falsely elevated (and thus appear normal) due to liver damage, inflammation, infection, or cancer. 