Ferritin in Joint Arthroplasty: Can It Be a Possible Biochemical Indicator of Articular Pain?

Abstract

Summary Background: A retrospective study was undertaken to investigate the biochemistry data of a restricted cohort of patients. The aim of our study was to evaluate laboratory data behavior and the VAS pain scale before and after joint replacement. Methods: We produced an elaboration of the biochemical data of 90 orthopedic patients, collected from 2011 to 2013. These 90 patients were divided into 2 groups: one group of 45 patients who claimed severe postoperative pain and one group of 45 patients who showed no or mild postoperative pain. A student's t-test was applied, considering a P value less than 0.05 as statistically significant. Pearson correlation was applied. The pain visual analog scale [VAS] was employed. Results: Significant and relevant unexpected biochemical differences were found between the two groups of patients. The serum level of ferritin was significantly higher in men who claimed postoperative pain. We excluded the possibility that the ferritin difference between the two groups was due to different iron storage or to an inflammatory profile. Conclusions: The correct use of a biochemical database could permit identification of significant values which must be correlated with clinical data: these results confirmed what has been found in a dialysis cohort.