How is Iron Deficiency Anemia diagnosed?
If you're experiencing symptoms of iron deficiency anemia, it's important to talk to your doctor or healthcare professional so that he or she can properly diagnose the symptoms and prescribe the appropriate course of treatment.
While there isn't a single, comprehensive test for iron deficiency anemia, your doctor can use a series of tests to diagnose IDA and make sure you don't have other types of anemia or health problems that could be confused with—or complicated by—IDA.1
Generally, your doctor will need to take a sample of your blood from your arm or hand and perform two common tests:2,3,4,5
- Hemoglobin Concentration can be used can determine whether you are anemic
- Ferritin Concentration can identify whether iron deficiency is the source of your anemia
These tests are generally enough to confirm a diagnosis; however, in certain cases, your doctor may also use other tests to identify the severity of your iron deficiency.1,2,6
- Recommendations to prevent and control iron deficiency in the United States [Internet]. Centers for Disease Control and Prevention; 1998 Apr 3 [accessed 2008 Apr 9]. Available from: http://www.cdc.gov/mmwr/preview/mmwrhtml/00051880.htm.
- Killip S, Bennett JM, Chambers MD. Iron deficiency anemia. Am Fam Physician. 2007 Mar 1;75(5):671-8.
- Trost LB, Bergfeld WF, Calogeras E. The diagnosis and treatment of iron deficiency and its potential relationship to hair loss. J Am Acad Dermatol. 2006 May;54(5):824-44.
- Medline Plus medical encyclopedia: ferritin [Internet]. U.S. National Laboratory of Medicine and the National Institutes of Health; [access 2008 Apr 28]. Available from: http://www.nlm.nih.gov/medlineplus/ency/article/003490.htm.
- Skikne BS, Flowers CH, Cook JD. Serum transferrin receptor: a quantitative measure of tissue iron deficiency. Blood. 1990 May 1;75(9):1870-6.
- Cook JD. Clinical evaluation of iron deficiency. Seminars in Hematology. 1982 Jan;19(1):6-18.
