Using transferrin saturation as a diagnostic criterion for iron deficiency: A systematic review

Iron deficiency is the most common micronutrient deficiency in the world and represents a major challenge for public health, notably in terms of morbidity and mortality. It remains largely under-diagnosed due to the low level of exploration and the absence of international harmonization for biological tests and thresholds. We performed a systematic review of the literature using PubMed, which allowed us to identify 41 publications within the scope of this review. This analysis shows the benefit of using transferrin saturation in addition to ferritin, in the diagnosis of iron deficiency and even in first-line analysis for patients with chronic inflammatory diseases.