Indices of systemic inflammation, including C-reactive protein (CRP) (p = 0.0003), interleukin-6 (IL-6) (p = 0.0958), erythrocyte sedimentation rate (ESR) (p = 0.0008), serum ferritin (SF) (p = 0.0001), and procalcitonin (p = 0.0171), exhibited progressive increases as disease severity increased (Figure S1B; Table S1).