Effect of elevated serum ferritin on the risk of death in patients with decompensated cirrhosis: a meta-analysis

Abstract

It is still debatable whether serum ferritin is a potential prognostic marker in patients with decompensated cirrhosis. In this meta-analysis, we hope to investigate the relationship between elevated serum ferritin and the risk of death in patients with decompensated cirrhosis. We systematically searched PubMed, Embase, Web of Science, Cochrane Library, CNKI, SinoMed, WAN FANG, and ClinicalTrials.gov without language restrictions from inception to 3 October 2022, and finally identified a total of eight eligible studies with 1829 patients. The pooled prevalence of elevated serum ferritin in decompensated cirrhosis was 40.6% [95% confidence interval (CI) 32.1–49.2%], and it was higher in males, patients with alcohol-associated liver disease, those with Child–Pugh grade C, those with hepatic encephalopathy, and nonsurvivors. Nonsurvivors had significantly higher serum ferritin levels than survivors [mean difference 247.90; 95% CI, 130.97–364.84]. With a pooled unadjusted hazard ratio of 2.38 (95% CI, 1.78–3.18), high serum ferritin was associated with an increased risk of death in patients with decompensated cirrhosis, with low heterogeneity among the included studies. In conclusion, high serum ferritin levels were associated with mortality in patients with decompensated cirrhosis. More prospective and homogeneous clinical studies are required to validate our findings.