Laboratory diagnosis & findings in Iron deficiency anaemia

Laboratory diagnosis & findings in Iron deficiency anaemia

Introduction

Anemia is a major blood disease. It results from the body lacking red blood cells or having dysfunctional red cells. The result is that the body lacks oxygen, or there becomes a reduced flow of this gas to other organs in the body. The disease has got various types that are associated with it, and of which iron deficiency anemia is a common type. It is a type of anemia that is characterized by the body having inadequate healthy red blood cells. As its name implies, the disease is due to the body having insufficient levels of iron. The etiology of the disease can be established through physical examination and history, but the disease is mainly a laboratory diagnosed ailment. In this paper, the tests used to diagnose this condition in the lab, and the interpretations of their results are discussed herein.

WHO defines that anemia is a condition when the hemoglobin level is less than 13g/dl in men and 12g/dl in women (Lee, 2019 pp. 332). The severity of this disease is based on the hematocrit or hemoglobin levels of the patient. In Iron deficiency anemia, there are hyochromic erythrocytes, microcytic, and low stores of iron. In doing laboratory tests, the mean corpuscular volume is normally measured. Its range is 80 to 100 fL, and that of mean corpuscular in the hemoglobin concentration ranges between 320-360g/l (Lee, 2019 pp. 333).  The tests that are therefore carried out in the laboratory are as follows:

1. Serum ferritin radioimmunoassay– It is the most preferred test in diagnosing the disease at the laboratory. Since iron is stored as ferritin and in small amounts, it is present in the blood, and this blood test becomes most efficient. The low level of the protein suggests that the body lacks iron hence iron deficiency anemia.
2. Complete Blood Count- It is a group of tests that are carried out in the evaluation of the levels of the blood cells. The test is done to evaluate the overall health, and after it is finished, the interpretation is based on identifying how ill one is. Other subsequent tests then are run.
3. Hemoglobin/ Hematocrit test– The hematocrit test is done to show how the body’s blood is composed of the red cells. The Red cells have a protein referred to as hemoglobin. As already stated, if the reading of the hemoglobin is less, then the patient in question probably has Iron deficiency anemia.
4. The Ferritin test– Ferritin is a blood protein that is in the body. The ferritin test, therefore, is run to reveal how much iron the body stores. The normal range is between 12-300 ng/mL in males and 12-150 ng/ml in females. If the level drops, then the iron store is low, and the patient may be suffering from iron deficiency anemia. The test, therefore, proves that an individual may have iron deficiency anemia. Importantly, low serum Ferritin levels are the hallmark of the absoluteness in iron deficiency.
5. Serum Iron Test– It is a test that is carried out in the body to measure the amount of iron that is present in the serum. After the red cells and all clotting factors have been removed, the serum test is run on the remaining liquid. It is used to reveal on abnormally high or, on the other hand, low levels of iron. If the body is having an insufficient amount of iron, then it is a test to indicate the probability of the condition.
6. Total iron-binding capacity– It is a test that also tries to find the amount of iron that is present in the body. The protein transferring levels is monitored. In a high level of binding capacity, there is insufficient iron in the body and rules on the probability of the disease being present. A value of less than 240 mcg/dL suggests that the level of iron is high in the body and is mostly caused by liver defects.

In summary, the tests that run on the anemic patient will have the following results;  There will be low levels of hemoglobin and hematocrit. The mean cellular volume will be low, and the protein level of ferritin will also be low. The serum iron level is going to be low than the average value. In contrast, the transport iron-binding capacity will be high, therefore meaning that transferring levels will be equally high. Lastly, the iron saturation levels will be low from the findings. The interpretation implies that the patient is suffering from the Iron deficiency anemia.

Bibliography

Lee, S.J., 2019. Differential Diagnosis between Iron Deficiency Anemia and Anemia of Chronic Disease by Understanding Laboratory Results. Journal of Health Informatics and Statistics, 44(4), pp.331-338.