Total Iron Binding Capacity (TIBC), Serum

Serum iron quantification is useful in confirming the diagnosis of iron-deficiency anemia or hemochromatosis. The measurement of total iron binding may facilitate the clinician to distinguish between low serum iron levels caused by iron deficiency and those related to inflammatory/ neoplastic conditions. TIBC
measures the amount of iron that would appear in blood if all the transferrin were saturated with iron. It is an indirect measurement of transferrin concentrations but expressed as an iron measurement. To obtain the percent saturation, the serum iron is divided by the TIBC which gives the actual amount of saturated transferrin. The percent saturation is low in iron deficiency and high in iron storage diseases.