Rate of Decline of Ferritin in Patients With Hemophagocytic Lymphohistiocytosis as a Prognostic Variable for Mortality

Hemophagocytic lymphohistiocytosis (HLH) is difficult to diagnose and treat Highly elevated ferritin is strongly associated with HLH and levels may provide a prognostic marker A cornprehensive review of ferritin data from our patients during treatment was analyzed with respect to mortality A patient was 17 times more likely to die when percent ferritin decrease was less than 50% as compared to a 96% or greater decrease as indicated with multivariate logistic modeling Higher maximum ferritin levels in the first 3 weeks also contributed to the odds of death (OR = 5 6, 90% Cl = 1 2-24 9) Regular ferritin measurements may be useful predicting outcomes in HLH patients Pediatr Blood Cancer 2011,56 154-155 (C) 2010 Wiley Liss Inc