The Laboratory Diagnosis of Iron Disorders

Iron deficiency anemia is prevalent in 2% of adult males, 9–12% of non-Hispanic white females, and nearly 20% of Black and Hispanic females (Killip and Bennett, Am Fam Phys 75:671–678, 2007). In fact, iron deficiency is considered to be the leading single nutritional deficiency in the world, with 30% of the population being affected (Kumar et al., BMJ Open Gastroenterol 9:000759, 2022). In adults it is most usually caused by chronic blood loss while in children it is primarily due to dietary deficiency. Coupled with the fact that hereditary iron overload is the most common autosomal recessive disorder in non-Hispanic whites, affecting 1 in every 200–400 individuals (Franchini, Am J Hematol 81:202–209, 2006), an understanding of iron disorders is important.