Objective: The goal of this study is to analyze the possible significance of serum ferritin levels in the examination of Parkinson’s disease (PD) and Progressive Supranuclear Palsy (PSP).
Background: PD and PSP are diseases with not sufficiently described background. Among the factors possibly impacting the pathogenesis could be mentioned neuroinflammation, metabolic abnormalities, genetic and environmental factors among others. Additionally the diseases lack efficient non-invasive tools enabling differentiation.
Method: 11 patients clinically diagnosed with PD and 14 with PSP were included in the study. The examination of the patients was based on the contemporary criteria of diagnosis. The duration of symptoms varied between 3 and 6 years. None of the patients were diagnosed with significant comorbidities impacting the level of ferritin. Each of the patients underwent a blood sample collection during which the level of ferritin in the serum was assessed.
Results: The study revealed higher levels of ferritin in PD than in PSP. The differences were found to be statistically significant (p=0,044228).
Conclusion: This preliminary study highlights the possible relevance of the peripheral inflammatory factors evaluation. Though the study is affected by boundaries as the lack of control group or indication of subtypes. Obviously further studies on the significance of serum levels of ferritin in parkinsonisms are required in further research.
References: 1. Postuma, R. B., Berg, D., Stern, M., Poewe, W., Olanow, C. W., Oertel, W., Obeso, J., Marek, K., Litvan, I., Lang, A. E., Halliday, G., Goetz, C. G., Gasser, T., Dubois, B., Chan, P., Bloem, B. R., Adler, C. H., & Deuschl, G. (2015). MDS clinical diagnostic criteria for Parkinson’s disease. Movement disorders : official journal of the Movement Disorder Society, 30(12), 1591–1601. https://doi.org/10.1002/mds.26424
2. Höglinger GU, Respondek G, Stamelou M, Kurz C, Josephs KA, Lang AE, Mollenhauer B, Müller U, Nilsson C, Whitwell JL, Arzberger T, Englund E, Gelpi E, Giese A, Irwin DJ, Meissner WG, Pantelyat A, Rajput A, van Swieten JC, Troakes C, Antonini A, Bhatia KP, Bordelon Y, Compta Y, Corvol JC, Colosimo C, Dickson DW, Dodel R, Ferguson L, Grossman M, Kassubek J, Krismer F, Levin J, Lorenzl S, Morris HR, Nestor P, Oertel WH, Poewe W, Rabinovici G, Rowe JB, Schellenberg GD, Seppi K, van Eimeren T, Wenning GK, Boxer AL, Golbe LI, Litvan I; Movement Disorder Society-endorsed PSP Study Group. Clinical diagnosis of progressive supranuclear palsy: The movement disorder society criteria. Mov Disord. 2017 Jun;32(6):853-864. doi: 10.1002/mds.26987. Epub 2017 May 3. PMID: 28467028; PMCID: PMC5516529.
3. Alster, P., Madetko, N., Koziorowski, D., & Friedman, A. (2020). Microglial Activation and Inflammation as a Factor in the Pathogenesis of Progressive Supranuclear Palsy (PSP). Frontiers in neuroscience, 14, 893. https://doi.org/10.3389/fnins.2020.00893
To cite this abstract in AMA style:
P. Alster, M. Markiewicz, P. Chunowski, N. Madetko-Alster. Ferritin as a factor in the examination of Parkinson’s disease and Progressive Supranuclear Palsy [abstract]. Mov Disord. 2026; 41 (suppl 1). https://www.mdsabstracts.org/abstract/ferritin-as-a-factor-in-the-examination-of-parkinsons-disease-and-progressive-supranuclear-palsy/. Accessed October 1, 2026.« Back to 2026 International Congress
MDS Abstracts - https://www.mdsabstracts.org/abstract/ferritin-as-a-factor-in-the-examination-of-parkinsons-disease-and-progressive-supranuclear-palsy/
