Laboratory Evaluation of Microcytic Anemia

Recall that iron is normally stored as ferritin, but in iron deficiency, the “stores” of ferritin are “depleted”—otherwise there would be no deficiency of iron; in contrast, the stores of ferritin are elevated in anemia of chronic disease; that is, there is plenty of iron in the body (stored in the liver and spleen, for example) but it is “entrapped” with the macrophages; that is ... ................
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