Ferritin levels during the acute phase response tend to:

• A. Decrease
• B. Remain unchanged
• C. Fluctuate minimally
• D. Increase

Answer: (D)

During an acute inflammatory response, ferritin levels tend to increase. Ferritin isn’t just a storage protein for iron; it acts as an acute-phase reactant. Cytokines like IL-6 stimulate the liver to produce more ferritin as part of the inflammatory response. This helps sequester iron and reduce its availability to pathogens, so iron is stored rather than circulating. Because of this, ferritin can rise even when total body iron stores are normal or depleted, which is why it behaves as an inflammatory marker. In this context, an increase is the expected pattern.