Iron Status Panel

An iron status panel measuring ferritin, serum iron, and transferrin at AXIS-CZ's biochemistry laboratory in Hradec Králové, with the option to add soluble transferrin receptor (sTfR) for a comprehensive assessment of iron stores across all conditions including inflammation. Ferritin is the primary iron storage marker and the most sensitive early indicator of iron depletion; serum iron reflects circulating iron availability; transferrin is the main iron-transport protein, elevated in deficiency and reduced in inflammation. The sTfR marker — at 387 Kč — provides an assessment of iron deficiency that is independent of the acute-phase response, making it the preferred marker for identifying true iron depletion in patients with chronic inflammation, autoimmune conditions, or malignancy where ferritin is elevated as an acute-phase reactant rather than reflecting genuine iron sufficiency. Walk-in collection runs from 05:30 Monday to Friday.

The iron status panel at Laboratoř AXIS-CZ covers the full range of biochemical markers used to assess iron stores, transport, and deficiency at a cellular level — an important distinction from simply measuring serum iron, which is highly variable within a day and is an unreliable standalone indicator of iron status. Ferritin (296 Kč) is the primary iron storage protein and the most sensitive early-stage indicator of iron depletion. In most clinical contexts, a low ferritin is diagnostic of iron deficiency even when haemoglobin is still normal — this phase (iron deficiency without anaemia) represents a state where iron stores are depleted but red cell production has not yet been affected. Low ferritin commonly presents clinically as fatigue, poor exercise tolerance, hair loss, and restless legs syndrome long before anaemia develops. For athletes and active individuals, ferritin depletion through sweat losses and haemolysis (foot-strike or high-impact exercise) can significantly impair performance and recovery. However, ferritin is also an acute-phase reactant: it rises in inflammation, infection, liver disease, and malignancy regardless of actual iron stores. In patients with chronic inflammatory conditions, autoimmune disease, or cancer, ferritin may be elevated while iron deficiency is simultaneously present — a condition called anaemia of chronic disease complicated by iron deficiency. This is where the soluble transferrin receptor (sTfR, 387 Kč) becomes essential: unlike ferritin, sTfR is not influenced by the acute-phase response and rises specifically when iron demand at the cellular level exceeds supply. The combination of sTfR with ferritin — and sometimes the sTfR/ferritin index — is the most reliable approach to diagnosing iron deficiency in the presence of inflammation. Serum iron (26 Kč) measures the amount of iron bound to transferrin in circulation at the moment of the blood draw. It fluctuates considerably throughout the day (highest in the morning, lower in the afternoon) and with diet, stress, and sleep. On its own it is not a reliable indicator of iron status, but in combination with transferrin it allows calculation of transferrin saturation — the percentage of transferrin binding sites occupied by iron. Low transferrin saturation alongside low ferritin and low serum iron is a classic iron deficiency pattern; low transferrin saturation with normal or high ferritin and low serum iron is typical of anaemia of chronic disease. Transferrin (212 Kč) rises in iron deficiency (the liver produces more of this transport protein in an attempt to scavenge more iron from the circulation) and falls in chronic disease and in iron overload (haemochromatosis). It is the most direct marker of the body's iron-transport capacity and reflects the opposite of ferritin in most iron deficiency states. At AXIS-CZ, the iron panel can be ordered in any combination using the clinic's individual test pricing. Fasting of 8–12 hours is recommended for serum iron to avoid diurnal variation; ferritin, transferrin, and sTfR do not require fasting but collecting all markers together at one fasted visit is most efficient. The blood draw fee of 59 Kč is charged additionally. Results are typically available same day or the following morning.