Anemia, one of the more common blood disorders, occurs when the level of healthy red blood cells (RBCs) in the body becomes too low. This can lead to health problems because RBCs contain hemoglobin, which carries oxygen to the body's tissues. Anemia can cause a variety of complications, including fatigue and stress on bodily organs. This panel detects iron deficiency anemia, sickle cell anemia, and thalassemia.
Iron Deficiency Anemia also occurs when the body isn't able to produce enough healthy RBCs because of an iron deficiency. Iron is essential to hemoglobin production. Poor dietary iron intake (or excessive loss of iron from the body) can lead to iron deficiency anemia. Sickle Cell anemia is caused by stretched out RBC’s which give up oxygen leading to the destruction of red blood cells. Thalassemia is a severe form of anemia where the RBC’s are destroyed and iron is deposited into the skin and vital organs.
Tests
| Name | Description |
| Iron & TIBC | These tests measure the amount of serum iron and total iron binding capacity within the bloodstream. |
| Ferritin | A protein the binds to iron and will detect how much iron is stored in the body. |
| CBC with Differential | A complete blood count measures the amount of red blood cells that contain iron in the blood stream as well as the hemoglobin and hematocrit that measure the amount of packed blood cells per deciliter of blood. |