TO ESTABLISH A RELATIONSHIP BETWEEN SERUM FERRITIN LEVELS AND TREATMENT OUTCOMES IN COVID-19 PATIENTS

Background: COVID-19, a pandemic affecting the entire world and causing significant morbidity and mortality, requires immediate evaluation and identification of reliable predictors of disease severity and outcome. COVID-19-associated fatalities are accompanied by cytokine storm syndrome. Serum ferritin is used to determine the cytokine storm.

Aims and Objective: The purpose of this study was to determine the role of serum ferritin in determining the severity and outcome of COVID-19.

Materials and Methods: From March to May 2020, a single-center, cross-sectional, observational study was conducted among SARS-CoV-2 infected patients. A real-time polymerase chain reaction was used to confirm the diagnosis (RT-PCR). The serum ferritin levels of COVID-19 positive patients were compared to their treatment outcomes.

Results: The study enrolled a total of 1977 COVID-19 patients. The mean age of the subjects was 43.8915.58 years, with a male predominance of 61.56 percent. The mean serum ferritin levels were 1225.6 2502.91 ng/ml in recovered patients and 285.71 391.99 ng/ml in expired patients, respectively.

Conclusion: Serum ferritin levels were significantly increased in COVID-19 patients who died compared to those who recovered completely, establishing it as a useful marker for assessing the severity of the infection.

Key words: cytokine storm, Serum ferritin, COVID-19