Analysis of the Relationship of Serum Ferritin, Urate, and Some Hematological Parameters with Disease Activity in Gout Patients

Background and objectives: Gout is a type of arthritis. Acute gout is a common rheumatological disease that mostly affects first metatarsopharyngeal joint. Chronic gout is the condition that characterized by repeated episodes of acute gout. The objective of this study was to further explore the relationship between iron, ferritin, and other hematological markers with serum urate and gout. Methods: This cross sectional study was conducted in the Department of Rheumatology of Rizgary Teaching Hospital, Erbil, and Northern Iraqi Kurdistan. A total of 85 cases were enrolled in this study, 76 males and 9 females. There mean age (SD) was 46.6 (±11.2) years. All participants were known to have gout and fulfilled the criteria for diagnosis of gout. Serum ferritin, C-reactive protein, Serum iron, total iron binding capacity, and serum urate level were measured in addition to renal function tests and liver function tests were measured. Results: The mean (SD) for urate was 9.04 (±1.16) mg/dL, 76 (89.4%) patients with high serum uric acid had high level of ferritin in the blood meanwhile; 9 patients have normal ferritin level. There was a significant positive correlation (76 out of 85 patients) between serum ferritin level and serum urate (p<0.005 and rho=0.237). A positive correlation was found between C reactive protein and urate level, in contrast there was no correlation of iron level and urate level. Conclusion: The ferritin and C reactive protein levels were significantly high among gouty patients.