Lab marker · Low

Low Serum Iron: what it means

A Serum Iron result below the normal range is considered low. Here is what a reduced Serum Iron can point to, and when it is worth discussing with a doctor.

Reference range: 60–170 µg/dL (men); 50–170 µg/dL (women); diurnal variation up to 30%

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What a low Serum Iron can mean

  • Iron-deficiency anaemia — together with low ferritin, low TSAT, high TIBC.
  • Anaemia of chronic disease — low iron because of hepcidin-mediated sequestration, NOT depletion; ferritin is normal or high, TIBC is low.
  • Recent infection — transient drop.

When to discuss with a doctor

Iron-deficiency vs anaemia-of-chronic-disease cannot be distinguished from serum iron alone — the laboratory needs the full iron panel (ferritin + transferrin/TIBC + TSAT) to make the call. Mediora.AI weighs the panel as a whole; do not treat low serum iron in isolation without ferritin to confirm true deficiency.

Conditions this can relate to

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Mediora.AI is informational - interpretation, not a diagnosis. A single out-of-range value is common and often benign; always discuss decisions with your doctor.