Luis Oliverio Ambriz Garcia: Key Points From the ASH 2026 Guidelines on Iron Deficiency
Luis Oliverio Ambriz Garcia, Doctor, Specialist in Internal Medicine at HRAEB, Chief Executive Officer of Memodi, shared a post on X about a recent article by Jacquelyn M. Powers et al., published in Blood Advances, adding:
“Latest ASH guidelines (2026) on iron deficiency.
Key points:
- Adult: ferritin 30 ng/mL or less, deficiency. Sensitivity 67%, specificity 96%. The threshold applies even without anemia; the diagnosis does not depend on hemoglobin.
- With symptoms or persistent risk factor, the cutoff rises to 50 ng/mL or less. The cost is more false positives, so it’s best to use it in those with a real pretest probability.
- Inflammation: ferritin plus TSAT, never ferritin alone. Applies in heart failure, CKD, IBD, cancer, and rheumatic disease. Diagnosis is considered with TSAT less than 20% or ferritin less than 100 ng/mL. TSAT should be taken after fasting for 5 to 9 hours and without iron supplements.
- The lab’s ‘normal range’ is a problem. The lower limits for ferritin were set with a ‘seemingly healthy’ population that included people with deficiency. A ferritin of 18 marked as ‘normal’ on the report is still deficiency.
I’m going to finish reading them thoroughly to update the apps.”
Title: American Society of Hematology 2026 guidelines for diagnosis of iron deficiency
Authors: Jacquelyn M Powers, Ming Yeong Lim, Maureen O. Achebe, Imo J Akpan, Michael Auerbach, Megan C Brown, Maria Paula Cardenas, Caroline Cromwell, Thomas G. DeLoughery, Robert E. Fleming, Martina Fraga, George Goshua, Paula D. James, Adam K Lewkowitz, Jori Ellen May, Grace Nnadozie, Frances Ogunnaya, Guillermo J. Ruiz-Arguelles, Michelle Sholzberg, Layla Van Doren, Angela C. Weyand, Michelle Paula Zeller, Muayad Azzam, Ali Choaib, Qais Hamarsha, Hassan Kawtharany, Jana Khawandi, Reem A. Mustafa
Stay updated on all scientific advances with Hemostasis Today.
-
Nov 3, 2026, 02:21Digambar Panchal: NGS Demonstrates Key Role in Solving Challenging Hematology Cases at LTMGH
-
Nov 3, 2026, 02:07David Smadja: Does Immediate Breast Reconstruction Increase the Risk of Thrombosis and Bleeding after a Mastectomy?
-
Nov 3, 2026, 01:57Nour Al-Mozain: What Does a Bathtub Have to Do with Hemoglobin S?
-
Nov 3, 2026, 01:51Cesar de Almeida Neto: Highlighting The Final Day of Hemo 2026
-
Nov 3, 2026, 01:34Jae Hyun Byun: Beyond Stenosis Understanding Carotid Plaque Instability
-
Nov 3, 2026, 01:20Smriti Yadav: A New Milestone in Transfusion Medicine
-
Nov 3, 2026, 00:55Dušan Ušjak: A Month of Research and Scientific Collaboration
-
Nov 3, 2026, 00:27Grace Gorecki: Early IVIG Accelerates Platelet Recovery in HIT
-
Nov 2, 2026, 22:15Micheline Mambue: A Case of Early Stent Thrombosis Successfully Managed With Repeat Angioplasty