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    Question ID:   1158         Current Version: 1
Question: How is iron deficiency detected?
Category: Health & Beauty > Fitness and Nutrition
Keywords: iron deficiency, anemia, sign, symptom, detect, blood test, screen
Type: how
Rating:(0 ratings)    Views: 441    Discussions: 0   In Watch Lists: 1  

 
    Answer:

Too little iron can impair body functions, but most physical signs and symptoms do not show up unless iron deficiency anemia occurs. Someone with early stages of iron deficiency may have no signs or symptoms. This is why it is important to screen for too little iron among high risk groups.

Signs of iron deficiency anemia include

  • Feeling tired and weak
  • Decreased work and school performance
  • Slow cognitive and social development during childhood
  • Difficulty maintaining body temperature
  • Decreased immune function, which increases susceptibility to infection
  • Glossitis (an inflamed tongue)

Your doctor or healthcare provider will do blood tests to screen for iron deficiency. No single test is used to diagnose iron deficiency. The most common tests for screening are

  • Hemoglobin test (a test that measures hemoglobin which is a protein in the blood that carries oxygen)
  • Hematocrit test (the percentage of red blood cells in your blood by volume)
    These tests show how much iron is in your body. Hemoglobin and hematocrit levels usually aren’t decreased until the later stages of iron deficiency, i.e., anemia.

Sometimes other blood tests are used to confirm that anemia is due to iron deficiency. These might include

  • Complete blood count (to look at the number and volume of the red blood cells)
  • Serum ferritin (a measure of a stored form of iron)
  • Serum iron (a measure of the iron in your blood)
  • Transferrin saturation (a measure of the transported form of iron)
  • Transferrin receptor (a measure of increased red blood cell production)
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