Sideroblastic anaemia

What it is

Sideroblastic anemia is associated with ringed sideroblasts on bone marrow biopsy, which are iron-laden mitochondria that form a ring around the nucleus of erythroid precursors.

How it is diagnosed

The laboratory values give the answer: MCV is low, serum iron is high and ferritin is high. Set out in full, the sideroblastic anemia row runs ferritin high, TIBC low, serum iron high and % saturation high, against a Normal row of TIBC 300 µg/dL, serum iron 100 µg/dL and 33% saturation.

That combination separates it from anemia of chronic disease, where ferritin is increased while serum iron, TIBC and % saturation are all decreased, and from iron deficiency anemia, where ferritin is low, TIBC high, serum iron low and % saturation low. Ringed sideroblasts on bone marrow biopsy are the marrow finding.