An Exploratory Analysis of Routine Ferritin Measurement Upon Admission and the Prognostic Implications of Low-Grade Ferritinemia During Inflammation.

Routine admission ferritin concentrations are linearly and independently correlated with excess mortality risk in hospitalized patients, even those with apparently "normal" ferritin concentrations (<300 mg/mL). Thus, low-grade ferritinemia might not be an innocent finding in the context of the inflammatory response. Its potential biological and therapeutic implications warrant future research.