ferritin test, a blood test used to determine available iron stores in the body. It is used to diagnose iron deficiency anemia, and when combined with the serum iron level and total iron-binding capacity tests, can differentiate and classify various kinds of anemias.
Mosby's Medical Dictionary, 8th edition. © 2009, Elsevier.

iron saturation, the capacity of iron to saturate transferrin, measured in the blood to detect iron excess or deficiency. The normal iron saturation capacity in serum is 20% to 55%. See also total iron.
Mosby's Medical Dictionary, 8th edition. © 2009, Elsevier.

Anemia Causes and Risk Factors
What is Anemia?
Causes and Risk Factors
Symptoms
Diagnosis
Treatment

What is anemia?

All organs, tissues and cells require oxygen to live and function properly. Anemia is a condition of low levels of healthy red blood cells and oxygen and can be generally defined as a decrease in the amount of health blood cells to carry sufficient amounts of oxygen to all parts of the body. In fact, people with anemia do not get enough oxygen delivered to various areas of the body. This results in symptoms such as fatigue and weakness, and is why prolonged anemia can cause damage to the heart and other organs.

But what causes anemia? And who is more at risk of developing anemia? Although there are many reasons anemia can develop blood loss, high rates of red blood cell destruction or lack of red blood cell production are the main causes of anemia. Click here to learn more about which medical conditions can cause these factors, plus who is at risk of developing anemia in the what causes anemia section next.

Causes of anemia


There are many reasons anemia can develop. However, anemia has three main causes:

1. blood loss 2. high rates of red blood cell destruction 3. lack of red blood cell production
These causes may be due to a number of diseases, conditions, or other factors. The following conditions can contribute to cause