Evidence map›Paper›PMID 40663209›Full record

Observational studyRheumatology international2025

Serum ferritin as a specific biomarker of anti-MDA5-interstitial lung disease: a multicenter, case-control study in observational and validation datasets.

Edoardo Conticini, Latika Gupta, Marco Fornaro, Chiara Rizzo, Vikas Agarwal, Anamika Kumari Anuja, Federica Camarda, Paolo Cameli, Miriana d'Alessandro, Lidia La Barbera and 8 more

Abstract readMulticenter StudyObservational StudyValidation Study
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In one paragraph

Observational study in Rheumatology international, 2025. The graph could read no effect estimate from its abstract, so it casts no vote on the map. Cited by 2 papers.

0numbers the graph read from it
0cells of the map it votes in
2citing papers in PubMed
–field-weighted citation impact
1 · What the graph read from it

What it found

Each row is one number read from the abstract, on the scale the paper reported it, with its interval. Left of the dashed line favours the treatment, right favours the comparator. Under each row is the sentence it came from. New to these charts? A ten-minute tutorial.

The abstract states no effect estimate the extractor could read, or names no intervention and outcome on the map, so this paper lights no cell and moves no belief. It is still indexed, cited and linked below.

2 · The registry

The trial behind it

Trials whose registry record cites this paper, or whose number appears in the abstract. A trial that started after this paper was published is citing it as background, not reporting it.

Neither the registry nor the abstract names a trial number. If this is a trial report, that itself is worth knowing.

3 · Its place in the literature

Who cites it

2 citing papers in PubMed.

  1. Article
  2. Article
4 · The record

Corrections and comments

PubMed lists nothing against this paper. Absence here is not a guarantee, only a check that was made.

5 · Who and what money

Authors and funding

18 authors.

Edoardo ConticiniRheumatology Unit, Department of Medicine, Surgery and Neurosciences, University of Siena, Siena, Italy.ORCID 0000-0002-3974-6606
Latika GuptaClinical Immunology and Rheumatology, Sanjay Gandhi Postgraduate Institute of Medical Sciences, Lucknow, Uttar Pradesh, India.ORCID 0000-0003-2753-2990
Marco FornaroRheumatology Unit, Department of Precision and Regenerative Medicine, Ionian Area (DiMePRe-J), University of Bari, Bari, Italy.ORCID 0000-0003-1716-7432
Chiara RizzoRheumatology Section, Department of Health Promotion, Mother and Child Care, Internal Medicine and Medical Specialties, University of Palermo, Palermo, Italy.ORCID 0000-0003-4838-5854
Vikas AgarwalClinical Immunology and Rheumatology, Sanjay Gandhi Postgraduate Institute of Medical Sciences, Lucknow, Uttar Pradesh, India.ORCID 0000-0002-4508-1233
Anamika Kumari AnujaClinical Immunology and Rheumatology, Sanjay Gandhi Postgraduate Institute of Medical Sciences, Lucknow, Uttar Pradesh, India.ORCID 0000-0003-0722-8756
Federica CamardaRheumatology Section, Department of Health Promotion, Mother and Child Care, Internal Medicine and Medical Specialties, University of Palermo, Palermo, Italy.ORCID 0000-0002-2548-0659
Paolo CameliRespiratory Diseases Unit, Department of Medical and Surgical Sciences and Neurosciences, University of Siena, 53100, Siena, Italy.ORCID 0000-0001-8639-2882
Miriana d'AlessandroRespiratory Diseases Unit, Department of Medical and Surgical Sciences and Neurosciences, University of Siena, 53100, Siena, Italy. dalessandro.miriana@gmail.com.ORCID 0000-0002-2368-5722
Lidia La BarberaRheumatology Section, Department of Health Promotion, Mother and Child Care, Internal Medicine and Medical Specialties, University of Palermo, Palermo, Italy.ORCID 0009-0005-4208-5828
Lekshmi Minikumari RahulanClinical Immunology and Rheumatology, Sanjay Gandhi Postgraduate Institute of Medical Sciences, Lucknow, Uttar Pradesh, India.ORCID 0009-0003-5921-3684
Silvia GrazziniRheumatology Unit, Department of Medicine, Surgery and Neurosciences, University of Siena, Siena, Italy.ORCID 0000-0001-6541-2469
Stefano StanoRheumatology Unit, Department of Precision and Regenerative Medicine, Ionian Area (DiMePRe-J), University of Bari, Bari, Italy.ORCID 0000-0001-5207-7913
Giuliana GugginoRheumatology Section, Department of Health Promotion, Mother and Child Care, Internal Medicine and Medical Specialties, University of Palermo, Palermo, Italy.ORCID 0000-0003-2479-6958
Florenzo IannoneRheumatology Unit, Department of Precision and Regenerative Medicine, Ionian Area (DiMePRe-J), University of Bari, Bari, Italy.ORCID 0000-0003-0474-5344
Elena BargagliRespiratory Diseases Unit, Department of Medical and Surgical Sciences and Neurosciences, University of Siena, 53100, Siena, Italy.ORCID 0000-0002-8351-3703
Luca CantariniRheumatology Unit, Department of Medicine, Surgery and Neurosciences, University of Siena, Siena, Italy.ORCID 0000-0002-7352-1275
Bruno FredianiRheumatology Unit, Department of Medicine, Surgery and Neurosciences, University of Siena, Siena, Italy.ORCID 0000-0002-9375-5984

Funding

No grant is acknowledged in the PubMed record.

6 · The paper itself

Abstract

backgroundSerum ferritin has been proposed as biomarker of interstitial lung disease (ILD) in anti-MDA5 dermatomyositis (DM). Nevertheless, no data exist for serum ferritin in other idiopathic inflammatory myopathies (IIM)-ILD nor in IIM without ILD. Aim of this case-control study was to assess whether serum ferritin may be considered a specific and sensitive biomarker for IIM-ILD, as well as to assess whether it correlates with clinical and immunological findings. PATIENTS AND

methodsAll patients affected by IIM and followed at Siena (Italy), Palermo (Italy), Bari (Italy) and Lucknow, (India) IIM referral centers were retrospectively included. They had diagnosis of DM and ASS, with and without ILD. Myositis specific or myositis associated antibodies were tested through line immunoassay (Euroimmune, Lubeck, Germany). Serum ferritin concentrations at the first assessment (T0) were detected by ChemiLuminescent Enzyme Immunoassay technology.

resultsA total of 139 IIM patients (study cohort n = 51 and validation cohort n = 88; mean age and standard deviation 44.3 ± 17.75) were included. The most common subtype was DM (n = 70, 50.3%), followed by ASS (n = 50, 35.9%). The three most common MSAs were MDA5 (n = 25, 18%), Jo1 (n = 25, 18%) and Mi2 (n = 10, 7%). ILD was assessed in 69 subjects. Ferritin values were higher in DM-MDA5 than DM-non-MDA5 (p = 0.0073) and ASS (p = 0.0006). All 69 patients affected by ILD were subsequently divided showing statistically significant difference for ferritin (p = 0.0013).

conclusionOur study included a huge number of patients from multicenter datasets, comprising patients of different ethnicities. Ferritin values lower than 303.5 ng/ml evaluated for the first time in a patient with suspected IIM and ILD, waiting for autoimmunity tests, allowed to exclude MDA5-DM. The strength of our findings was corroborated by binomial logistic regression, which proved the independence of ferritin from CPK and CRP to identify DM-MDA5-ILD. Such evidence allows to exclude that ferritin values are influenced by systemic inflammation.

Indexed as

AutoantibodiesDermatomyositisFerritinsInterferon-Induced Helicase, IFIH1Lung Diseases, InterstitialAdultAgedBiomarkersCase-Control StudiesFemaleHumansItalyMaleMiddle AgedRetrospective StudiesAutoantibodiesBiomarkersFerritinsIFIH1 protein, humanInterferon-Induced Helicase, IFIH1Antisynthetase syndromeDermatomyositisFerritinInterstitialLung diseasesMyositis

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Read under generation 80e0d062 · epoch 390. Bibliography from PubMed, PubMed Central and OpenAlex; grants from NIH RePORTER; trial links from ClinicalTrials.gov; estimates, votes and beliefs from the OpenQuestion graph.