Transferrin is a protein produced mainly by the liver and its main function is to transport iron to the marrow, spleen, liver and muscles, keeping the body functioning properly.
Normal blood transferrin values are:
- The assessment of the concentration of transferrin in the blood should be performed in fasting for 8 to 12 hours.
- According to the advice of the doctor and the laboratory.
- And is usually requested with the dose of iron and ferritin.
- In addition to biochemistry and Haematological tests.
- Such as blood formula.
- For example.
- Should be interpreted together.
- Learn what the blood formula is for and how to interpret it.
Transferrin dosing is usually requested by your doctor to make the differential diagnosis of microcytic anemias, which are those characterized by the presence of smaller than normal red blood cells, so in addition to the transferrin the doctor requests the measurement of serum iron and ferritin.Learn more about ferritin.
The laboratory profile of microcytic anemia is
In addition to these tests, hemoglobin electrophoresis may be requested to identify the patient’s type of hemoglobin to confirm the diagnosis of thalassemia, for example.
It is important that the test results are interpreted by the doctor, because in addition to the concentration of iron, transferrin and ferritin, it is necessary to analyze more tests to be able to verify the general clinical condition of the patient.
The transferin saturation index is the percentage of transferrin occupied by iron.Under normal conditions, 20-50% of transferrin binding sites are occupied by iron.
In the case of iron deficiency anemia, for example, the transferin saturation rate is low due to the low concentration of iron available in the blood, i.e. the body begins to produce more transferrin to capture as much iron as possible to take it to tissues, but each transferrin contains less iron than it should.
High levels of transferrin are generally observed in iron deficiency anemia, known as iron deficiency anemia, during pregnancy and during hormone replacement therapy, especially estrogen.
Low transferrin levels can occur in certain situations, such as
In addition, the concentration of transferrin in the blood may also be decreased in chronic anemia, which is a type of anemia that normally occurs in people hospitalized with chronic infectious diseases, inflammations or neoplasms.