Question

Anemia of chronic disease is characterized by increased ferritin, which is an important distinguishing feature from iron deficiency anemia. What is another distinguishing feature of anemia of chronic disease?

1) Decreased total iron-binding capacity
2) Increased red blood cell count
3) Decreased mean corpuscular volume
4) Increased transferrin saturation

Answer 1

A distinguishing feature of anemia of chronic disease compared to iron deficiency anemia is decreased total iron-binding capacity, due to the body's reduced iron uptake and transport in response to chronic conditions.

Step-by-step explanation:

While anemia of chronic disease is characterized by increased ferritin levels, another distinguishing feature compared to iron deficiency anemia is decreased total iron-binding capacity (TIBC). In iron deficiency anemia, there is typically a high TIBC due to the body's attempt to maximize iron binding in the setting of iron deficiency.

Conversely, in anemia of chronic disease, TIBC is often low because the body reduces iron uptake and transport in response to chronic inflammation or disease states, such as chronic kidney diseases, hypothyroidism, cancer, lupus, and rheumatoid arthritis.