Marhaeni W, Felicia FV, Sumadi Jap AL, Hartoyo E, Andayani P. Comparing serum ferritin levels during COVID-19 infection and recovery period in pediatric patients with transfusion-dependent thalassemia, a single-center study.
Front Med (Lausanne) 2023;
10:1056599. [PMID:
36844235 PMCID:
PMC9947356 DOI:
10.3389/fmed.2023.1056599]
[Citation(s) in RCA: 0] [Impact Index Per Article: 0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 09/29/2022] [Accepted: 01/25/2023] [Indexed: 02/11/2023] Open
Abstract
Background
Ferritin has been recognized as a predictor of severity among Coronavirus-19 disease (COVID-19) patients. Studies have shown higher levels of ferritin in patients with COVID-19 than in healthy children. Patients with transfusion-dependent thalassemia (TDT) basically have high ferritin level due to iron overload. It is uncertain whether serum ferritin level in these patients is associated with COVID-19 infection.
Objective
To evaluate ferritin levels in TDT with COVID-19 before, during, and after the course of infection.
Methods
This retrospective study enrolled all TDT children with COVID-19 infection that were hospitalized in Ulin General Hospital Banjarmasin during the COVID-19 pandemic (March 2020 to June 2022). Data were collected from medical records.
Results
There were 14 patients included in this study, 5 patients had mild symptoms and 9 patients were asymptomatic. The mean of hemoglobin level upon admission was 8.1 ± 3 g/dL and serum ferritin level were 5148.5 ± 2651.8 ng/mL. The average serum ferritin level during COVID-19 infection was 2373.2 ng/mL higher than before infection and then decreased by 952.4 ng/mL after infection. We found no association of increasing serum ferritin with patients' symptoms (p = 0.27). The severity of anemia also was not correlated with the presentation of COVID-19 infection (p = 0.902).
Conclusion
Serum ferritin levels in TDT children may not reflect disease severity or predict poor outcomes during COVID-19 infection. However, the presence of other co-morbid conditions/confounders warrants cautious interpretation.
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