ELEVATED SERUM FERRITIN LEVEL IN ACUTE MYOCARDIAL-INFARCTION

Serum ferritin level was determined in 20 patients with acute myocardi al infarct!on (AMI) during the first 10 days post infarction. Starting on the second day, a gradual increase in serum ferritin level was det ected, reaching a maximum of four times the initial level on the sixth day after the infarction. In addition, a significant increase in ferr itin content was found in the peripheral blood monocytes on the fifth day after the event. The control group comprised sis patients sufferin g from chest pains not due to AMI. In all of them the serum ferritin l evel was found to be within normal limits. Peripheral blood monocytes derived from healthy individuals incubated with hydrocortisone, showed a significant enhancement of their ferritin content, a finding sugges ting that these cells activated by steroids during stress could be a s ource of the increased serum ferritin level following AMI. It is concl uded that measurement of serum ferritin may be used as a complementary tool for confirming the diagnosis of AMI.