Dr. Howard Smith Oncall

  Vidcast:  https://youtu.be/O3ptZogfbiU   A simple lab test, the serum ferritin level, can help diagnose a deadly hyper-stimulation of the immune system triggered by coronavirus.  Each hospitalized CoVid19 patient should have the test, but some docs aren’t aware of it.   Chinese investigators, treating CoVid19 patients in Wuhan, found that the 13 most severely affected compared with 27 having milder disease had an overpowering  burst of immune system mediators associated with elevated ferritin levels.   Immunologists report that ferritin is elevated in auto-immune disease. A cytokine storm is the most extreme form of it.  Since a coronavirus-corrupted, raging immune system attacks all vital organs, recognizing and treating a cytokine storm is vital and lifesaving.   https://www.medrxiv.org/content/10.1101/2020.02.16.20023671v2   #ferritin #cytokinestorm #coronavirus