The prognosis role of ferritin in COVID-19: Experience of the Mohammed VI university hospital Oujda (Morocco)

Background: COVID-19 is an infectious disease caused by the virus SARS COV 2 that has rapidly spread worldwide since December 2019, resulting in millions of severe cases and deaths. Elevated serum ferritin levels have been noted in patients with COVID 19. The objective of our study is to verify the prognostic role of serum ferritin in predicting the severity of COVID 19. Methods: This is a retrospective study of 319 patients with COVID-19 hospitalized at the CHU MOHAMMED VI OUJDA during the period from August 1, 2021 to November 10, 2021. Our patients are divided into 2 groups: patients hospitalized in the intensive care unit and patients hospitalized in the other COVID units. Results: 207 of our patients (64.9%) were hospitalized in the intensive care unit, compared with 35.1% hospitalized in other COVID units. Patients hospitalized in the ICU had higher serum ferritin levels with a mean of 3257.08 ng/ml compared to a mean maximum ferritin of 1311 ng/ml in other COVID units. The mean ferritin in the deceased patients was much higher 2135.33ng/ml than for the surviving patients 1361.17 ng/ml with a p=0.009. Follow-up of ferritin level during hospitalization also showed that the serum ferritin level before the pre-terminal event (death or survival) was much higher in the deceased patients with a level of 2557.80 ng/ml versus a level of 1194.90 for the survivors (p<0,001). Conclusion: Our results confirmed that higher serum ferritin level is associated with more severe COVID 19 disease, and that ferritin can predict worsening and poor prognosis in COVID 19 patients.