Retrospective analysis shows ferritin levels predict severe outcomes in hospitalized children, indicating potential use in clinical settings.
Key Points
To determine if admission serum ferritin levels can predict disease severity in hospitalized pediatric patients.
Single-center retrospective observational study at a pediatric hospital in Mexico.
Included patients under 16 years old with serum ferritin levels measured on admission.
Developed risk prediction models using receiver operating characteristic (ROC) curves.
Higher admission ferritin levels were significantly associated with the need for vasopressors, blood transfusions, and admission to the pediatric intensive care unit (all p < 0.001).
Ferritin levels >500 ng/mL were linked to longer hospital stays (p = 0.037).
A cut-off of 385 ng/mL was linked to an increased odds ratio (OR 3.21, 95% CI: 1.29–7.97) for mortality.
Cite This Study
Turrubiates-Hernández et al. (2026) studied this question.