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Have you been feeling tired often, despite adequate rest? Check your iron, hemoglobin, and ferritin levels from the comfort of your own home with Homed-IQ’s Anemia Blood Test. Anemia occurs when the number of red blood cells in the body decreases. This can cause symptoms of fatigue and lack of energy. This test checks several indicators of anemia using a blood sample taken from home.
Test method: Finger prick test
What is an anemia test?
This test measures the hemoglobin, iron, and ferritin levels in your blood. Hemoglobin – also called Hb – is needed to carry oxygen from your lungs to the rest of your body. Iron is a mineral that is important, among other things, for the formation of hemoglobin, a component of red blood cells. Ferritin is a protein that stores iron in your body. It is mainly in your liver and bone marrow, but also partly in your blood. The amount of ferritin in your blood says something about the amount of iron stored in your body. If your ferritin level is too low, you have too little iron in your body. It may then be more difficult for your body to produce hemoglobin (Sanquin).
The most common cause of anemia is iron deficiency. That is why we test iron levels in addition to hemoglobin with our Anemia Test. Based on the results, it can be determined whether you have anemia or not.
What is in the test kit?
The test kit contains instructions for use, lancets to collect blood, a blood collection tube, alcohol wipes, band-aids, a protective transport bag and a return envelope to send your sample to the laboratory.
How reliable is this test?
All test samples are processed in the same labs used by primary care physicians, hospitals and government programs. Homed-IQ’s partner labs are ISO 15189 certified which is the highest level of laboratory accreditation.
The sensitivity and specificity for this blood test is almost 100%. Sensitivity is the ability of a test to correctly identify disease. Specificity is the ability of a test to correctly identify tests without disease.
Common symptoms of anemia include:
How soon will I receive the results of Homed-IQ’s home anemia test?
Once you have collected your sample and mailed it to our laboratory, it generally takes a few working days before you receive the test result. As soon as your test sample arrives at the laboratory you will receive a notification by email. Once your test result is ready, you will receive a text message and an email from us with a link to your test result. We will keep you well informed throughout the entire testing process!
What does the result mean?
This test measures the hemoglobin, iron, and ferritin levels in your blood. The results of this test can determine whether or not you have anemia and what may be causing it. A healthy hemoglobin level, for example, helps us to feel our best and ensures our body can function properly. Want to learn more about hemoglobin and why it is so important? Feel free to check out our article “All about Hemoglobin“!
With treatment, most people recover from iron-deficiency anemia in 2 to 3 months. However, it may be required to take iron supplements for several months longer to build up your reserves of iron.
In many cases, anemia is temporary and caused by a nutritional deficiency or blood loss. By making dietary changes or taking supplements it can be reversed, In other cases, anemia is a lifelong condition that is the result of a chronic or inherited condition, including genetic disorders, autoimmune problems, cancers, and other diseases.
Some research has found a link between stress and iron deficiency and the depletion of other minerals in the body. However, stress alone is not known to cause iron deficiency or anemia. Nevertheless, minimizing stress is good for your overall health and well-being.
Anemia may cause symptoms of fatigue, breathlessness, a rapid pulse, dizziness, or faintness. However, the only way to know you have anemia for sure is through a blood test.
Anemia tests usually look at hemoglobin, ferritin, and iron levels. Other values, such as hematocrit or mean corpuscular volume can be used to help diagnose anemia.
Many people think that anemia is caused by having an insufficient amount of blood, but this is not the case. Anemia means you have a shortage of red blood cells and hemoglobin. Your red blood cells are about 1/3 filled with hemoglobin, a protein found in the blood. Hemoglobin is red and therefore gives your blood its red color. The function of hemoglobin is to transport oxygen and carbon dioxide. As soon as you have a shortage of hemoglobin, you can feel lethargic and fatigued. Do you want to learn more about hemoglobin and why it is important? Then our article “All about Hemoglobin” might be interesting for you.
Yes. Most rapid tests are not reliable because your sample will not be examined by a laboratory. With Homed-IQ’s Anemia Test, your sample is examined by the same laboratory that most hospitals and general practitioners work with and uses exactly the same testing method. We can therefore give you a definitive answer whether you have anemia or not.
We currently do not have any agreements with health insurers. Therefore, at Homed-IQ we aim to keep our tests as affordable as possible to give everyone the opportunity to get a better understanding of their health.
Homed-IQ offers a range of home testing solutions for different health conditions, vitamins, and minerals. Click here to see our full test portfolio.
The biggest advantage of this anemia laboratory test is that you can easily take the test yourself at home, without the need for a visit to your doctor or a testing center. You will receive the test result within a few days.
If not treated, chronic anemia can lead to many health problems such as:
Anemia cannot always be prevented, but a healthy and varied diet does reduce the risk of anemia. This is especially important when you:
Foods that are high in iron include:
All of Homed-IQ’s self-sampling tests are scientifically certified and validated for home use. The tests have been tested and approved by our lab to ensure the results of samples taken at home are as accurate as samples taken in a testing station or doctor’s office. It is only legal to sell validated medical tests.
Each sample is processed in a laboratory that is ISO15189 certified, which allows us to guarantee the reliability of the tests.
No, iron deficiency is one of the causes of anemia. It is the most common cause of this condition.
No, ferritin is a protein that stores iron in your body. The amount of ferritin in your blood says something about the amount of iron in your body, but does not cause anemia. However, a ferritin deficiency can indicate you have too little iron in your body. Iron deficiency is one of the causes of anemia.
Iron deficiency is the most common cause of anemia. Other causes can be a deficiency of vitamin B12 or folic acid. Anemia can also be caused by other diseases, or occur due to hereditary genetic mutations. Stress can also be a cause of anemia, according to researchers (Wei, Zhou, Huang & Li, 2008).
Most people are at risk of developing anemia due to poor diet, intestinal disorders, chronic illnesses, infections, and other conditions. Women who are menstruating or pregnant and those with chronic conditions are most at risk of this disease. The risk of anemia increases with age.
If you have any of the following chronic conditions, you may be at even greater risk of developing anemia:
The signs and symptoms of anemia can easily be overlooked. In fact, many people don’t even realize they have anemia until it is diagnosed with a blood test.
One risk group for anemia is people who are vegetarian or vegan. We have specially developed the Vegan and Vegetarian Blood test for this group of people.
In the Netherlands, approximately 12.5% of the population has anemia. Worldwide this percentage is almost 25% (WHO Global Database on Anemia, 2008). Since anemia is highly common, it is important to test for it regularly.
