Iron Studies

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Iron plays a vital role in the function and development of cognition and behavior. Low levels of Iron have been associated with symptoms such as fatigue, poor hair growth, poor immunity, palpitations, exercise fatigue and autistic behavior.

An Iron studies test looks at:

Serum Iron

A Serum Iron test measures how much iron is in the serum of the blood.   Serum is the liquid component in blood; this is the substance that is left when clotting factors and red blood cells have been removed.

Transferrin

Transferrin is a protein transporter in the blood that moves iron throughout the body.

This biomarker can indicate whether there are issues with transportation of iron or whether there is too much or too little iron in the blood. Transferrin levels may also be reduced with inflammation.

Saturation

This is a percentage measurement of how much iron is bound to the blood protein transferrin.

Transferrin saturation is a helpful indicator of potential iron overload. It can be useful in the diagnosis of Haemochromatosis.

Saturations of less than 20% may indicate iron deficiency, whereas saturations of over 45% may suggest overload.

Ferritin

Ferritin levels reflects the amount of stored iron in the liver.

Elevated levels reflect iron overload which may be due to excess dietary/supplementary levels or haemochromatosis.

Elevated levels can also be associated with inflammation, liver disease or malignancy.

Decreased levels are associated with low levels of dietary/supplemental iron, menorrhagia or occult bleeding.

Specimen Requirements

One blood sample is required for completion of test. Take a referral along to the nearest Australian Clinical Labs Collection Centre. Find the nearest collection centre online at clinicallabs.com.au/location.

Patient Preparation

Patient does not need to fast or make any special preparation before having blood collected.

Turnaround Time

Standard turnaround time is 7-10 business days.

Price

$38.10

Additional $20.00 collection fee applies to this test.

Payment

No prepayment required. The patient will be billed once the testing is completed.

Code

IS

Test Results

Patient results are delivered to the referring practitioner via electronic download unless requested otherwise. Results can also be issued via hardcopy or fax.

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    Terms and Conditions of Service

    It is your responsibility to ensure you carefully follow all steps provided to ensure the health and safety of the couriers, postage workers, specimen reception and laboratory workers.

    There is no rebate offered through the Medicare Benefits Scheme for the kits available on the Australian Clinical Labs shopping cart. Some private health insurance companies may offer rebates, check with your health insurance provider for further details.

    You are responsible for selection the correct test through the online shopping portal, if you are unsure, confirm with your referring practitioner. If your kit arrives through the mail damaged, contact us immediately for a replacement – do not use or send back this kit.

    Australian Clinical Labs does issue refunds to unused tests for up to 6 months from purchase date, a cancellation fee of $30 applies to all kits. We do not issue refunds for kits purchased over 6 months prior to the refund request.

    All kits to be returned are to have the referral form included with the samples. Without this form, there will be no patient allocated to the results and the test will take longer to process.