SPECIMEN: 3 mL (1.5 mL min.) serum from 1 SST. Avoid hemolysis. Ship refrigerated or frozen. Overnight fasting & sampling before 12 noon is preferred. Avoid iron supplements for minimum 24 hours prior to specimen collection.
STABILITY: Room: 8 hrs; Refrigerated: 3 week; Frozen: 4 weeks
REPORT: Daily
INSTRUCTIONS: Overnight fasting & sampling before 12 noon is preferred. Avoid iron supplements for minimum 24 hours prior to specimen collection.
USAGE: Serum iron, TIBC & Percent saturation are widely used for the diagnosis of Iron deficiency. This assay is useful for screening chronic iron overload diseases particularly haemochromatosis. Percent saturation is usually normal or increased in Iron deficiency, Pregnancy & intake of oral contraceptives. Low TIBC is seen in Chronic inflammatory conditions, Hemochromatosis & Malignancies. Serum ferritin is a more sensitive & reliable indicator of Iron deficiency.