High serum ferritin levels in newly diagnosed patients with myelodysplastic syndromes are associated with greater symptom severity

We examined the association between serum ferritin (SF) levels and patient-reported functional aspects and symptoms, as measured by the EORTC QLQ-C30, in newly diagnosed patients with myelodysplastic syndromes (MDS). Analysis was conducted on 497 MDS patients who were classified in two groups based on the SF value of 1000 ng/mL. Clinically relevant differences of patient-reported functional and symptom scales were evaluated and classified as small, medium and large, based on established thresholds. Multivariable linear regression analysis was performed to account for potential confounding factors. Patients with SF of ≥ 1000 ng/mL reported statistically significant and clinically relevant worse outcomes across various health domains. Dyspnea was the symptom indicating the largest difference and mean scores of patients with higher and lower SF levels were 40 and 24.3, respectively (p = 0.005), indicating a large clinically relevant difference (Δ = 15.7). Further research is needed to better understand the relationship between SF levels and specific health-related quality of life domains. © 2020, Japanese Society of Hematology.