TIBC test

How much room your blood has to carry iron. It rises when iron runs short.

€7.64. You pay at the desk, not online.

TIBC test: what it is for

TIBC, or total iron-binding capacity, shows how many seats there are in your blood to carry iron. It usually rises when iron is short. On its own it says little: it is read with ferritin, serum iron and transferrin saturation.

Why it is done

Its main use is to calculate transferrin saturation, that is what share of those seats are taken. That is why it is measured with the other iron tests.

It also helps tell apart two situations that look alike. When iron is short it usually rises, with inflammation it usually falls.

How the TIBC test is done

It is a blood test, done at a Bianalisi lab without a prescription. You can add other tests to the same draw.

Questions about the TIBC test.

Do I need to fast for a TIBC test? Not for TIBC itself, usually. But it is done with serum iron and saturation, which do ask for fasting, so it is best to arrive fasted. You can drink water.

How much does the TIBC test cost? €7.64, from Bianalisi’s private list for Lombardy. You pay at the desk on the day of the draw, not online.

Do I need a prescription for the TIBC test? No. You book it here without a prescription and pay at the Bianalisi desk.

When do results arrive? Within 10 working days, in the Rosa app, with each value next to the lab’s interval. The report a doctor approves is in the Rosa membership.