Serum Ferritin Levels in Pregnant Women with Preterm and Term Deliveries

The measuring serum ferritin level as a sensitive inflammatory biomarker might effectively
predict preterm delivery, but the power and the best cut-off point of this biomarker for
predicting preterm labor in Egyptian population has not been substantially identified. This
study aimed to evaluate serum ferritin levels in women with preterm and term delivery. This
case control study was conducted on 90 gravid females who allocated into 2 groups: Group A:
It comprised 60 cases with labor pain registered into 4 groups with a GA of 24 to 30 weeks,
30 to 34 weeks, 34 to 37 weeks, and >37 weeks (study group) and Group B: It included 30
cases who were in comparable GAs (control group) at Obstetrics and gynecology dep. at Al-
Zahraa University hospitals. In this table, in preterm deliveries, ferritin levels were
significantly higher (P< 0.05) in patients with PROM or a prolonged leakage; however, in term
deliveries, there was no significant difference in ferritin level between patients with and
without PROM or a prolonged leakage. In addition, ferritin levels were significantly higher in
preterm deliveries than term deliveries in patients with PROM or a prolonged leakage
(p<0.001). ROC-curve showed that the cutoff value of s-ferritin was 37.5 ng/ml with 79.5%
and 84.3% sensitivity and specificity resp. for pre-and in-term delivery groups. The findings
of the present study showed that serum ferritin level can be used to find patients at risk of
preterm delivery.