Iron, Total and Total Iron Binding Capacity

Test Code

7573

CPT Codes
83540, 83550

Includes

Iron, Total
Iron Binding Capacity
% Saturation (calculated)

Preferred Specimen

1 mL serum

Patient Preparation
Samples should be taken in the morning from patients in a fasting state, since iron values decrease by 30% during the course of the day and there can be significant interference from lipemia.

Minimum Volume

0.5 mL

Other Acceptable Specimens

Plasma collected in: Sodium heparin (green-top) tube or lithium heparin (green-top) tube

Transport Container

Plastic screw-cap vial

Transport Temperature

Room temperature

Specimen Stability

Room temperature: 6 days
Refrigerated: 7 days
Frozen: 28 days

Reject Criteria (Eg, hemolysis? Lipemia? Thaw/Other?)

Hemolysis • Anticoagulants other than heparin

Methodology
Spectrophotometry (SP)

Setup Schedule

Set up: Mon-Sat; Report available: 2-3 days

Reference Range

Iron, Total

Age	Male (mcg/dL)	Female (mcg/dL)
<1 Month	32-112	29-127
1-11 Months	27-109	25-126
1-3 Years	29-91	25-101
4-19 Years	27-164	27-164
20-29 Years	50-195	40-190
30-49 Years	50-180	40-190
≥50 Years	50-180	45-160

Iron Binding Capacity

Age	Male mcg/dL (calc)	Female mcg/dL (calc)
<1 Month	94-232	94-236
1-5 Months	116-322	89-311
6-11 Months	176-384	138-365
1-19 Years	271-448	271-448
≥20 Years	250-425	250-450

% Saturation

Age	Male % (calc)	Female % (calc)
<1 Year	10-48	12-45
1-12 Years	12-48	13-45
13-19 Years	16-48	15-45
≥20 Years	20-48	16-45

Clinical Significance

Serum iron quantification is useful in confirming the diagnosis of iron-deficiency anemia or hemochromatosis. The measurement of total iron binding in the same specimen may facilitate the clinician's ability to distinguish between low serum iron levels caused by iron deficiency from those related to inflammatory neoplastic disorders. The assay for iron measures the amount of iron which is bound to transferrin. The total iron binding capacity (TIBC) measures the amount of iron that would appear in blood if all the transferrin were saturated with iron. It is an indirect measurement of transferrin concentrations but expressed as an iron measurement. To obtain the percent saturation, the serum iron is divided by the TIBC which gives the actual amount of saturated transferrin. The percent saturation is low in iron deficiency and high in iron storage diseases.

The CPT Codes provided in this document are based on AMA guidelines and are for informational purposes only. CPT coding is the sole responsibility of the billing party. Please direct any questions regarding coding to the payor being billed. Any Profile/panel component may be ordered separately. Reflex tests are performed at an additional charge.