Serum iron

Clinicians order this laboratory test when they are concerned about iron deficiency, which can cause anemia and other problems.

65% of the iron in the body is bound up in hemoglobin molecules in red blood cells.

Around 30% of the iron in the body is stored as ferritin or hemosiderin in the spleen, the bone marrow and the liver.

Small amounts of iron can be found in other molecules in cells throughout the body.

[citation needed] Normal reference ranges are: μg/dL = micrograms per deciliter.