Role of Serum Ferritin as a Prognostic Marker in Acute Ischemic Stroke: A Preliminary Observation

BACKGROUND: Acute ischemic stroke is an important cause of morbidity and mortality. Search has been on to find out the factors which can help in formulating the prognosis of acute ischemic stroke. One of the prognostic indicators, which has gained great clinical interest in recent times, is serum ferritin. AIMS: To assess the serum ferritin levels in patients with acute ischemic stroke and to study the role of serum ferritin as a prognostic marker in these patients. MATERIALS AND METHODS: This prospective, observational study was conducted on 50 patients of acute ischemic stroke aged ≥18 years who presented within 48 hours of onset of symptoms. Clinical severity of stroke was assessed at admission and on the 6(th) day using Canadian Stroke Scale (CSS), and serum ferritin levels were measured at admission and on the 6(th) day in all these subjects. RESULTS: The mean serum ferritin levels at admission in patients with “more severe stroke” (CSS score at admission ≤7) and “less severe stroke” (CSS score at admission >7) were 282.77 ± 120.53 and 205.12 ± 110.96 ng/mL, respectively. The mean serum ferritin levels at admission were 173.71 ± 109.69 ng/mL in subjects who did not deteriorate and 336.86 ± 57.28 ng/mL in those who deteriorated, while the mean serum ferritin levels on the 6(th) day were 193.29 ± 101.88 and 343.95 ± 52.34 ng/mL in subjects who did not deteriorate and those who deteriorated, respectively. CONCLUSIONS: Serum ferritin has a significant positive correlation with the severity of acute ischemic stroke (P < 0.001), and the levels correlate with the outcome of the disease (P < 0.001); the patients with higher serum ferritin at admission tend to deteriorate more as compared to those with lower levels. Thus, serum ferritin can be used as a prognostic marker in acute ischemic stroke.