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Ferritin levels in children with severe sepsis and septic shock

Pedro Celiny Ramos Garcia1, Fernanda Longhi, Ricardo Garcia Branco

  • 1Pediatric Intensive Care Unit, Department of Pediatrics, Hospital São Lucas da PUCRS, and Medical School, Pontifica Universidade Catolica do Rio Grande do Sul (PUCRS), Porto Alegre, Brazil.

Acta Paediatrica (Oslo, Norway : 1992)
|November 16, 2007
PubMed

Insights

In children with severe sepsis or septic shock, elevated serum ferritin levels are linked to a higher risk of death. Specifically, ferritin over 500 ng/mL significantly increases mortality risk.

Area of Science:

  • Pediatric critical care medicine
  • Infectious diseases
  • Biomarker research

Background:

  • Severe sepsis and septic shock are life-threatening conditions in children.
  • Serum ferritin is an iron-storage protein that can be elevated during inflammation.

Purpose of the Study:

  • To investigate serum ferritin levels in pediatric severe sepsis and septic shock.
  • To determine the association between ferritin levels and mortality in these critically ill children.

Main Methods:

  • A cohort study included 36 children (1 month-16 years) with severe sepsis or septic shock.
  • Serum ferritin levels were measured at diagnosis, and a ferritin index (FI) was calculated.
  • Statistical analysis, including logistic regression, was used to assess associations with mortality.

Main Results:

  • Children with ferritin levels >500 ng/mL had a 3.2-fold increased risk of death (p=0.01).
  • A ferritin index (FI) of 1.7 was identified as the optimal cutoff for predicting mortality.
  • Both ferritin levels and the Pediatric Risk of Mortality (PRISM) score were independent predictors of mortality.

Conclusions:

  • Elevated serum ferritin is common in children with severe sepsis and septic shock.
  • High ferritin levels are significantly associated with poorer outcomes and increased mortality in this pediatric population.
Abstract

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