Elevated serum ferritin level in acute myocardial infarction

Serum ferritin level was determined in 20 patients with acute myocardial infarction (AMI) during the first 10 days post infarction. Starting on the second day, a gradual increase in serum ferritin level was detected, reaching a maximum of four times the initial level on the sixth day after the infarction. In addition, a significant increase in ferritin content was found in the peripheral blood monocytes on the fifth day after the event. The control group comprised six patients suffering from chest pains not due to AMI. In all of them the serum ferritin level was found to be within normal limits. Peripheral blood monocytes derived from healthy individuals incubated with hydrocortisone, showed a significant enhancement of their ferritin content, a finding suggesting that these cells activated by steroids during stress could be a source of the increased serum ferritin level following AMI. It is concluded that measurement of serum ferritin may be used as a complementary tool for confirming the diagnosis of AMI.