What is an Anemia Profile?
An Anemia Profile is a test series that is designed to investigate anemia, which is a condition where your body can’t produce enough red blood cells to effectively carry oxygen to tissues and organs. The most common causes of anemia are iron or other nutritional deficiencies; however other causes include excessive alcohol use, liver disease, thyroid deficiency, environmental poisoning and bone marrow problems. Symptoms of anemia are tiredness, weakness, shortness of breath, heart palpitations, and being more susceptible to illness and infection.
What will an Anemia Profile include?
An anemia profile will include:
Total Iron Binding Capacity
The amount of iron needed to bind to all of the transferrin, a plasma glycoprotein that transports dietary iron to the liver, spleen, and bone marrow, in a certain amount of blood. This value is an estimate of the iron-carrying capacity of the transferrin molecule.
Iron
Is a necessary mineral for the proper function of muscles and organs, as well as for the formation of hemoglobin. The original source of all the body’s iron is from foods such as liver and other meat, eggs, fish, and leafy green vegetables. Healthy adult men rarely develop an iron deficiency; because they get enough iron from the foods they eat and have enough reserves of iron in their bodies to last for several years. Women, however, can lose large amounts of iron due to menstrual bleeding, pregnancy, or breastfeeding, and are much more likely than men to need an iron supplement.
B12
B12 is another important precursor in red blood cell production. (Learn more in our blog: Proactive Health: Do I Really Need Vitamin B12?) Like folate, a lack of Vitamin B12 also causes macrocytic anemia. Vitamin B12 is not found in vegetables; but is instead contained in animal products such as meat, shellfish, milk, cheese, and eggs. Low levels of Vitamin B12 are rarely caused by dietary deficiencies (except in vegans who do not eat any animal products), but more commonly result from absorption problems within the digestive tract (a condition called pernicious anemia).
Folic Acid
This B vitamin is very important in red blood cell production. A dietary deficiency of folate causes decreased production of red blood cells, and the cells which are produced are typically larger than normal (a macrocytic anemia). The direct measurement of folate contained in the red blood cells is a much more sensitive test than measuring blood concentrations and is not affected by dietary habits or recent ingestion of folate.
Ferritin
Ferritin is a protein found in the liver, spleen, and bone marrow in the body which binds unused iron. Although only a small amount of ferritin is found in the blood, the measured concentration indirectly correlates with the amount of iron stored in the body.
Transferrin
Transferrin is when red blood cells die, the iron from their hemoglobin is released and carried by transferrin to the bone marrow, where iron is stored and recycled as needed to make new red blood cells.
Being proactive in taking care of your health is extremely important. Contact us for more information or to get started with Star Access.
