Iron Metabolism Disorders Associated With the Severity of Pyogenic Liver Abscess

Area of Science:

• Hepatology
• Infectious Diseases
• Biomarker Discovery

Background:

• Pyogenic liver abscess (PLA) presents significant morbidity and mortality.
• Current diagnostic methods for PLA are often slow, costly, and inefficient.
• The role of iron metabolism, particularly ferritin, in PLA pathogenesis and progression is not well understood.

Purpose of the Study:

• To identify rapid, low-cost biomarkers for assessing PLA severity.
• To investigate the correlation between iron metabolism and PLA severity.
• To evaluate ferritin as a diagnostic marker for severe PLA and bacterial liver abscess (BLA).

Main Methods:

• Retrospective analysis of 125 PLA patients from the MIMIC-IV database.
• Validation using an independent cohort of 36 PLA patients from Peking University Third Hospital.
• Correlation analysis between iron metabolism markers, disease severity, and inflammation.
• Receiver operating characteristic (ROC) curve analysis for diagnostic efficiency.

Main Results:

• Iron metabolism disorders were prevalent in PLA patients, correlating with liver dysfunction and inflammation.
• Ferritin levels were significantly associated with PLA disease severity.
• Optimal ferritin cut-offs identified: 390 ng/mL for severe PLA and 748 ng/mL for BLA.
• Ferritin demonstrated independent prognostic value.

Conclusions:

• Ferritin is a promising multifaceted biomarker for PLA, reflecting disease severity and aiding in early BLA identification.
• Findings support ferritin's role in assessing PLA and suggest potential for dietary interventions.
• This research offers a new avenue for cost-effective PLA management and diagnosis.