Which condition is associated with low serum iron and high TIBC?

The condition associated with low serum iron and high total iron-binding capacity (TIBC) is iron deficiency anemia. In iron deficiency anemia, the body's iron stores are depleted, leading to a reduction in the amount of circulating iron in the serum. TIBC is a measure of the blood's capacity to bind iron with transferrin, a protein that transports iron. When the body is iron-deficient, TIBC often increases as the liver produces more transferrin in an effort to maximize the amount of iron available for hemoglobin synthesis and other essential functions.

In contrast, conditions such as anemia of chronic infection often show normal or decreased TIBC due to the inflammatory response which leads to hepcidin production, resulting in decreased iron availability regardless of iron stores. Hemochromatosis presents with high serum iron and low TIBC because there is excess iron in the body that saturates transferrin, leading to the downregulation of transferrin production. Noniron deficiency anemias may show various iron profile abnormalities, but they typically do not present with low serum iron and high TIBC as clearly as seen in iron deficiency anemia.

Thus, the profile of low serum iron along with a high TIBC is particularly indicative of iron deficiency anemia,