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SOLUBLE TRANSFERRIN RECEPTOR (sTfR)

Definition

Soluble Transferrin Receptor (sTfR) is a measure of iron levels in the body. It is not as affected by inflammation or anemia as other measures, such as ferritin.¹ When ferritin results indicate depleted iron stores, sTfR can be used to assess the severity of the iron depletion.¹

The sTfR test measures the amount of sTfRs in the blood at the time of the test.

Population

STfR results were obtained for persons aged 12 years and over, who participated in the National Health Measures Survey (NHMS) and provided a blood sample. Fasting was not required for this test.

Methodology

A blood sample was collected from participants and sTfR levels were measured at the Douglass Hanly Moir (DHM) laboratory.

There is no consensus on the epidemiological cut off reference values for measuring sTfR in the blood. As such no cut off points have been defined in the NHMS.

Further information about the analysis method and machines used to measure sTfR levels is available in Excel spreadsheet format in the Downloads page of this product.

Data items

The data items and related output categories for this topic are available in Excel spreadsheet format from the Downloads page of this product.

Interpretation

Points to be considered when interpreting data for this topic include the following:

• STfR test results do not confirm a specific diagnosis without consultation with a health professional.
• There are a number of different test methods to measure sTfR levels and each test method may produce different results. The data from this topic should therefore be used with caution when comparing sTfR results from other studies using a different test method.