What Students Need To Know About The Total Iron Binding Capacity (TIBC).

Total iron binding capacity (TIBC) is a blood test to see if you have too much or too little iron in your blood. Iron moves through the blood attached to a protein called transferrin. This test helps your health care provider know how well that protein can carry iron in your blood. A total iron-binding capacity (TIBC) test measures the blood’s ability to attach itself to iron and transport it around the body. A transferrin test is similar. If you have iron deficiency (a lack of iron in your blood), your iron level will be low but your TIBC will be high. If you have too much iron (for example, if you have a condition like haemochromatosis), your iron level will be high but your TIBC will be low or normal. Transferrin is a protein produced by the liver. It regulates the absorption of iron into the blood. TIBC relates to the amount of transferrin in your blood that’s available to attach to iron. Although TIBC and transferrin are 2 different tests, they basically measure the same thing, so you’ll u