Serum ferritin level helps predict mortality in severe fever with thrombocytopenia syndrome

Before starting any therapy, the serum ferritin level can be used as a reliable indicator of a patient's prognosis for severe fever with thrombocytopenia syndrome (SFTS), says an article published in Infectious Diseases and Therapy.

The virus that causes severe fever with thrombocytopenia syndrome virus (SFTSV), also known as the Dabie bandavirus at the moment, which is an infectious condition with a high fatality rate. Tick bites as well as coming into touch with a patient's blood or blood-carrying secretions can spread SFTS. Lack of specificity in the clinical presentation of SFTS. In order to give some direction for assessing the condition and prognosis of SFTS patients in clinical work, Jiao Xie research assessed the clinical significance of serum ferritin in patients with SFTS by examining the association between the level of serum ferritin and prognosis of patients with SFTS.

The key findings of this study were:

1. There were 229 people with febrile thrombocytopenia syndrome in all. With a death rate of 18.3%, there were 42 cases.

2. 16.775 mg/l was the highest critical value for serum ferritin.

3. The cumulative mortality considerably increased when serum ferritin levels rose.

4. The high ferritin group had worse OS than the low ferritin group, according to Cox univariate regression analysis and corrected confounding variables such age, viral load, liver and kidney function, and blood coagulation function.

According to the study, a simple early warning indicator of unfavorable clinical outcomes is the serum ferritin level. This will enable medical professionals to give more focus and attention on the patients who are at a high risk of dying.

Reference:

Xie, J., Su, M., Dang, Y., & Zhao, L. (2023). Prognostic Value of Serum Ferritin for Patients with Severe Fever with Thrombocytopenia Syndrome: A Single-Center Retrospective Cohort Study. In Infectious Diseases and Therapy. Springer Science and Business Media LLC. https://doi.org/10.1007/s40121-023-00784-3