Home › Clinical Tools › Iron studies

🧲 Iron Studies Interpretation

UseCombine the iron indices to classify iron status, accounting for inflammation's effect on ferritin.

Loading calculator…

SourceStandard interpretation of iron studies (ferritin, TSAT, TIBC, sTfR)

Runs locally in your browser (no PHI uploaded). For licensed clinicians — not a substitute for clinical judgement.
Stored on this device for revisit reminders

This-shift next steps

After scoring: open the scene pack, peer scores, and the matching pathway. Local reference — no HIS write.

Scene next step
📋hematologyOpen scene pack →
Related scores
Matching pathway
🧭febrile_neutropeniaOpen pathway →
Score + version; reference only — not a substitute for care · no HIS write

Paste the link in Slack, Teams, X, or LinkedIn — the preview image comes from this page’s Open Graph card.

Methodology · worked example, guidelines & full notes
Clinical takeaway

Ferritin is an acute-phase reactant — use a higher cut-off (< 100) in inflammation.

When to use

Combine the iron indices to classify iron status, accounting for inflammation's effect on ferritin.

How it works

IDA: ferritin ↓, TSAT < 20%, TIBC ↑. ACD: ferritin normal/↑, TSAT ↓, TIBC ↓/normal. Overload: TSAT > 45%.

Key points

  • Ferritin is an acute-phase reactant — use a higher cut-off (< 100) in inflammation.
  • sTfR is not affected by inflammation and helps separate IDA from ACD.
  • TSAT > 45% screens for iron overload (check HFE).
  • Estimate replacement with the Ganzoni iron-deficit tool.

References

Worked calculation

The values below come from this tool's own example placeholders and are computed server-side with the formula shown on this page, so the arithmetic can be checked quickly. It demonstrates how to substitute values only — it is not clinical advice and not a real case.

ViewAnemia of chronic disease (ACD)

→Iron studiesAnemia of chronic disease/inflammation (ACD)

  • Ferritin：Normal or ↑ (acute-phase reactant)
  • TSAT：↓ or normal
  • TIBC：↓ or normal
ViewIron deficiency (IDA)

→Iron studiesIron-deficiency anemia (IDA)

  • Ferritin：↓ (< 30 µg/L highly suggestive; with inflammation < 100 may still be deficient)
  • TSAT：↓ (< 20%)
  • TIBC/transferrin：↑
Verification & sources · governance
FAQ

Frequently asked questions

What are the limits and cautions when using Iron Studies Interpretation?
For licensed clinicians and clinical researchers. Interpret results with history, investigations and local protocols; not a diagnosis or prescription, and not a substitute for multidisciplinary decision-making or local guidelines.
Does Iron Studies Interpretation upload patient data? Where is it calculated?
Calculation runs locally in the browser; inputs and results are not uploaded. For licensed clinicians only; interpret with history, investigations and local protocols — not a diagnosis or prescription.
How is Iron Studies Interpretation calculated in practice? Can you show a worked example?
Inputs: View Anemia of chronic disease (ACD) → Result: Iron studies Anemia of chronic disease/inflammation (ACD)（Ferritin: Normal or ↑ (acute-phase reactant), TSAT: ↓ or normal, TIBC: ↓ or normal） Inputs: View Iron deficiency (IDA) → Result: Iron studies Iron-deficiency anemia (IDA)（Ferritin: ↓ (< 30 µg/L highly suggestive; with inflammation < 100 may still be deficient), TSAT: ↓ (< 20%), TIBC/transferrin: ↑）
Related tools

Other tools