Hyperferritinemia as a Potential Predictor of –COVID - 19 Severity and Mortality among a Sample of Quarantine Hospital’s Patients in Ajdabiya /Libya

The COVID-19 pandemic, caused by Severe Acute Respiratory Syndrome Coronavirus 2 (SARS-CoV-2), has resulted in unprecedented global social and economic impacts. The disease is accompanied by a cytokine storm syndrome, which is an uncontrolled immune response characterized by the release of large quantities of inflammatory cytokines, including TNF-α, IL-6, IL-12, and IL-8, during the progression of the illness. This response leads to acute respiratory distress syndrome and systemic organ failure. Evidence suggests that serum levels of ferritin, D-dimer, and lactate dehydrogenase also increase during disease exacerbation, indicating a heightened risk of mortality. Serum ferritin serves as a marker of lymphocytic proliferation by phagocytosis, known as a complication of viral infections. Hyperferritinemia resulting from excessive inflammation due to viral infection is associated with an increased risk of admission to the intensive care unit and shows a close correlation with poor patient recovery and higher mortality rates. This study aimed to examine the association between serum ferritin levels and the severity of viral infection and mortality rate. The results indicated that older patients (>65 years) had elevated ferritin levels (876.857 ± 377.08) compared to younger patients (<65 years) (634.243 ± 282.140) (p < 0.05). Additionally, the results showed no significant difference between males and females in ferritin levels (p > 0.05). Furthermore, diabetic patients and those with hypertension exhibited higher ferritin levels (710.458 ± 283.62 and 637.810 ± 256.329, respectively) compared to patients without comorbidities (502.82 ± 160.72) (p > 0.05). KEYWORD: COVID-19,hyperferritinemia, potential predictor, mortality, severity.