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Hepcidin and iron parameters in children with anemia of chronic disease and iron deficiency anemia

Gunjan Mahajan1, Sunita Sharma1, Jagdish Chandra2

  • 1Department of Pathology, Lady Hardinge Medical College, New Delhi, India.

Blood Research
|October 19, 2017
PubMed

Insights

Hepcidin aids in distinguishing anemia of chronic disease (ACD) from iron deficiency anemia (IDA). This biomarker also helps identify iron deficiency in ACD patients, guiding appropriate therapy selection.

Area of Science:

  • Pediatric Hematology
  • Clinical Biochemistry
  • Iron Metabolism

Background:

  • Anemia of chronic disease (ACD) and iron deficiency anemia (IDA) are common, often overlapping anemias.
  • Hepcidin, a key regulator of iron metabolism, is a novel biomarker for iron status assessment.
  • Differentiating ACD from IDA and identifying coexistent iron deficiency in ACD is clinically significant.

Purpose of the Study:

  • To investigate the role of serum hepcidin and conventional iron parameters in differentiating ACD from IDA in children.
  • To identify children with ACD who also have iron deficiency (ID).
  • To assess the utility of hepcidin in guiding therapeutic decisions for pediatric anemia.

Main Methods:

  • A comparative study involving 30 pediatric cases each of ACD and IDA, plus 30 age/sex-matched controls.
  • ACD cases were subcategorized into pure ACD and ACD with coexistent ID.
  • Analysis included complete blood count, inflammatory markers (CRP, IL-6), iron studies, soluble transferrin receptor (sTfR), and serum hepcidin.

Main Results:

  • Serum hepcidin levels were significantly elevated in pure ACD patients (143.85±42.76 ng/mL) compared to IDA patients (6.01±2.83 ng/mL) and controls (24.96±9.09 ng/mL).
  • ACD patients with coexistent ID exhibited significantly lower serum hepcidin (10.0±2.97 ng/mL) compared to pure ACD patients.
  • Elevated sTfR levels in ACD patients correlated with reduced hepcidin, indicating coexistent iron deficiency.

Conclusions:

  • Serum hepcidin is a valuable biomarker for differentiating pediatric ACD from IDA.
  • Hepcidin measurement effectively identifies iron deficiency in children with ACD.
  • These findings support the use of hepcidin assays to guide targeted anemia therapy.
Abstract

Keywords:
Anemia of chronic diseaseChildrenHepcidinIron deficiency anemia

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