Editing Iron deficiency (section)

==Diagnosis==
* A [[complete blood count]] can reveal [[microcytic anemia]],<ref>{{cite book  | vauthors = Longmore M, Wilkinson IB, Rajagoplan S | title = Oxford Handbook of Clinical Medicine|edition= 6th  | publisher = [[Oxford University Press]]  | year = 2004  | pages = 626–628  | isbn = 0-19-852558-3 }}</ref> although this is not always present{{spaced ndash}}even when iron deficiency progresses to iron-deficiency anemia.
* Low serum [[ferritin]] (''see below'')
* Low [[serum iron]]
* High [[TIBC]] (total iron binding capacity), although this can be elevated in cases of anemia of chronic inflammation.
* It is possible that the [[fecal occult blood]] test might be positive if iron deficiency is the result of [[gastrointestinal bleeding]]; although the sensitivity of the test may mean that in some cases it will be negative even with enteral blood loss.

As always, laboratory values must be interpreted with the lab's [[reference values]] in mind and considering all aspects of the individual clinical situation.

Serum ferritin can be elevated in inflammatory conditions; so a normal serum ferritin may not always exclude iron deficiency, and the utility is improved by taking a concurrent C-reactive protein (CRP). The serum ferritin level viewed as "high" depends on the condition. For example, in [[inflammatory bowel disease]] the threshold is 100, whereas in [[heart failure|chronic heart failure]] (CHF) the levels are 200.{{citation needed|date=November 2021}}