Antiphospholipid syndrome, ferritin and fever: Hyperferritinemic syndrome a nosological ally

Abstract

Hyperferritinemic syndrome represents a common nosological classification for systemic inflammatory syndromes, including Catastrophic antiphospholipid syndrome, in which hyperferritinemia (> 500 ng/mL) is present. Recent studies suggest that in this syndrome, ferritin is more than a passive marker of inflammation, playing an active role in the process. We present the case of a 74-year-old female patient with elevated serum ferritin levels (above 1000 ng/mL), along with an intense inflammatory syndrome, non-immune thrombotic microangiopathy, and multisystem involvement (pulmonary, cardiac, hepatic, pancreatic, neurological and renal changes), outlining the picture of a hyperferritinemic syndrome that is hard to classify otherwise. This underlines the necessity for diagnostic and classification criteria for this pathology.