The Transferrin test contains 1 test with 1 biomarker.
Description: Transferrin is a blood test used to measure the amount of transferrin in the blood's serum. It is used to evaluate if there is a proper amount of iron being transport throughout the body. A test called Total Iron Binding Capacity, or TIBC, will tell you how much of that transferrin is capable of transporting, or binding to the iron in the blood.
Collection Method: Blood Draw
Specimen Type: Serum
Test Preparation: Fasting for at least 12 hours is required
When is a Transferrin test ordered?
When a doctor wants to analyze or monitor a person's nutritional health, a transferrin test may be ordered along with additional tests like prealbumin.
What does a Transferrin blood test check for?
The primary protein in the blood that bonds to iron and transfers it across the body is transferrin. Total iron binding capacity, unsaturated iron binding capacity, and transferrin saturation are all measures of how much transferrin is available to bind to and transport iron.
The transferrin serum test, along with TIBC, UIBC, and transferrin saturation, measures the blood's ability to bind and transport iron, and is an indicator of iron storage.
Lab tests often ordered with a Transferrin test:
- Iron Total
- Iron Total and Total Iron Binding Capacity
- Ferritin
- Complete Blood Count (CBC)
- Hemoglobin
- Hematocrit
- Reticulocyte Count
Conditions where a Transferrin test is recommended:
- Iron Deficiency Anemia
- Hemochromatosis
- Liver Disease
- Malnutrition
How does my health care provider use a Transferrin test?
When assessing a person's nutritional state or liver function, a transferrin test is commonly performed. Transferrin will be low in people with liver disease because it is produced in the liver. Transferrin levels fall when there isn't enough protein in the diet, so this test is used to keep track of your diet.
What do my transferrin test results mean?
The findings of transferrin testing are frequently compared to the results of other iron tests.
If you have the following conditions, you may have a low transferrin level:
- Hemochromatosis
- Anemia caused by a build-up of iron in the body can cause a variety of symptoms.
- Malnutrition
- Inflammation
- Hepatitis
- A kidney ailment that causes protein loss in the urine such as nephrotic syndrome
When there is an iron deficit, transferrin saturation decreases, and when there is an overabundance of iron, such as in iron overload or poisoning, it increases.
We advise having your results reviewed by a licensed medical healthcare professional for proper interpretation of your results.
