Background: Metabolic syndrome (MetS) is a cluster of metabolic abnormalities including central obesity, hypertension, hyperglycemia, hypertriglyceridemia, and low HDL cholesterol, which increase the risk of cardiovascular disease and type 2 diabetes mellitus. Serum ferritin, an indicator of body iron stores and inflammation, has been increasingly associated with insulin resistance and metabolic disturbances. Aims and Objectives: To evaluate serum ferritin levels in patients with metabolic syndrome and determine its association with various components of metabolic syndrome. Materials and Methods: A cross-sectional observational study was conducted in the Department of General Medicine, RIMS Hospital ,RIMS ,Raichur involving 100 patients diagnosed with metabolic syndrome. Clinical history, anthropometric measurements, and laboratory investigations including fasting plasma glucose, HbA1c, lipid profile, renal function tests, complete blood count, and serum ferritin were performed. Statistical analysis was carried out using appropriate correlation tests, and a p-value <0.05 was considered statistically significant. Results: The mean age of the study population was 49.67±11.96 years with male predominance (58%). Mean serum ferritin level was 196.15±97.58 ng/mL. Significant positive correlation was observed between serum ferritin and waist circumference (r=0.456, p<0.001) as well as triglyceride levels (r=0.398, p<0.001). Serum ferritin showed a significant inverse correlation with HDL cholesterol (r=−0.229, p=0.022). No significant association was observed between serum ferritin and diabetes mellitus, hypertension, or number of metabolic syndrome components. Conclusion: Serum ferritin levels are elevated in patients with metabolic syndrome and are significantly associated with central obesity and dyslipidemia. Serum ferritin may serve as a useful biomarker for metabolic risk assessment.
Metabolic syndrome (MetS) is a constellation of metabolic abnormalities comprising abdominal obesity, hypertension, hyperglycemia, elevated triglycerides, and reduced high-density lipoprotein (HDL) cholesterol. These abnormalities collectively increase the risk of cardiovascular disease and type 2 diabetes mellitus. The global prevalence of metabolic syndrome has increased significantly due to sedentary lifestyle, unhealthy dietary habits, and rising obesity rates. Serum ferritin is traditionally considered a marker of total body iron stores. However, recent evidence suggests that ferritin also acts as an acute phase reactant and reflects chronic low-grade inflammation associated with metabolic syndrome. Elevated ferritin levels have been linked to insulin resistance, endothelial dysfunction, oxidative stress, and cardiovascular morbidity. Several epidemiological studies have demonstrated positive associations between serum ferritin levels and individual components of metabolic syndrome such as increased waist circumference, hypertriglyceridemia, impaired glucose metabolism, and low HDL cholesterol. Excess iron accumulation may contribute to oxidative stress and adipose tissue inflammation, thereby aggravating metabolic dysfunction and insulin resistance. Despite growing evidence, the exact relationship between serum ferritin and metabolic syndrome remains incompletely understood. Therefore, evaluation of serum ferritin in patients with metabolic syndrome may help identify individuals at higher cardiometabolic risk and improve disease risk stratification.
AIMS AND OBJECTIVES
This cross-sectional observational study was conducted in the Department of General Medicine, Raichur Institute of Medical Sciences, Raichur. A total of 100 patients diagnosed with metabolic syndrome according to standard diagnostic criteria were included in the study. Inclusion Criteria Patients fulfilling standard diagnostic criteria for metabolic syndrome according to NCEP ATP III . Exclusion Criteria Patients with chronic inflammatory diseases Liver disease Hematological disorders Malignancy Iron supplementation therapy Conditions affecting serum ferritin level After obtaining detailed clinical history and informed consent, patients underwent thorough clinical examination. Anthropometric measurements including body mass index (BMI), waist circumference, and blood pressure were recorded. Laboratory investigations included: Fasting plasma glucose HbA1c Lipid profile Serum ferritin Renal function tests Complete blood count Statistical analysis was performed using appropriate statistical methods. Correlation analysis was carried out to assess the association between serum ferritin and components of metabolic syndrome. A p-value <0.05 was considered statistically significant.
The mean age of the study population was 49.67±11.96 years. Among the participants, 58% were males and 42% were females. Mean BMI was 30.79±5.12 kg/m² and mean waist circumference was 94.17±10.44 cm. Mean serum ferritin level was 196.15±97.58 ng/mL. Among the study population, 60% had all five components of metabolic syndrome, while 20% had four components and another 20% had three components.
Serum ferritin demonstrated a significant positive correlation with waist circumference (r=0.456, p<0.001) and triglyceride levels (r=0.398, p<0.001). A significant inverse correlation was observed between serum ferritin and HDL cholesterol levels (r=−0.229, p=0.022).
No statistically significant association was found between serum ferritin and diabetes mellitus (p=0.910), hypertension (p=0.676), or number of metabolic syndrome components (p=0.363).
The present study demonstrated elevated serum ferritin levels among patients with metabolic syndrome and identified significant associations with central obesity and dyslipidemia. Waist circumference showed the strongest positive correlation with ferritin levels, suggesting that visceral adiposity may play an important role in abnormalities of iron metabolism. A positive association between serum ferritin and triglyceride levels, along with an inverse relationship with HDL cholesterol, supports previous studies showing the association between ferritin and atherogenic dyslipidemia. These findings suggest that serum ferritin reflects the inflammatory and metabolic disturbances associated with metabolic syndrome. No significant association was observed between ferritin levels and hypertension or diabetes mellitus in the present study. Similarly, ferritin levels did not significantly increase with increasing number of metabolic syndrome components, indicating that ferritin may be more closely related to specific metabolic abnormalities such as obesity and dyslipidemia rather than cumulative syndrome burden. The findings of the present study are comparable with previous national and international studies that reported elevated ferritin levels in patients with metabolic syndrome. Increased iron stores may contribute to oxidative stress, insulin resistance, endothelial dysfunction, and chronic low-grade inflammation, thereby worsening metabolic abnormalities.
Overall, the present study supports growing evidence that serum ferritin may serve as a useful biomarker for identifying metabolic risk and assessing cardiometabolic abnormalities in patients with metabolic syndrome.
The present study demonstrated elevated serum ferritin levels in patients with metabolic syndrome. Serum ferritin showed significant positive correlation with waist circumference and triglyceride levels, while a significant inverse correlation was observed with HDL cholesterol levels. No significant association was found between serum ferritin and hypertension, diabetes mellitus, or number of metabolic syndrome components. These findings suggest that serum ferritin may serve as a useful biomarker for identifying metabolic risk in patients with metabolic syndrome. Further large-scale prospective studies are required to establish the clinical utility of serum ferritin in metabolic syndrome assessment and management.
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