Iron-deficiency anemia is associated with high concentrations of transferrin receptor in serum.

We evaluated the use of transferrin receptor (TfR) in serum as an index of iron deficiency in 19 patients diagnosed as having iron-deficiency anemia, in 17 patients with anemia of chronic disease, and in a control group of 19 nonanemic patients who underwent elective ocular or nasopharyngeal surgery. The assessment of iron status of the anemic patients was based on the presence of stainable iron on bone marrow examination. In the patients with iron-deficiency anemia, the serum TfR concentration was 5.3 +/- 1.8 mg/L (mean +/- SD), significantly higher than in the control group (1.7 +/- 0.5 mg/L) or in the patients with anemia of chronic disease (1.6 +/- 0.4 mg/L). This study suggests that serum TfR measurement is a reliable index of iron depletion and potentially of importance in the diagnosis of iron-deficiency anemia.