Serum Concentration of Hepcidin as an Indicator of Iron Reserves in Children

BACKGROUND: Anemia represents a significant cause of maternal and perinatal mortality, as well as child mortality. The aim of the research was to determine the serum concentration of hepcidin in children aged 6 months to 2 years and adolescents aged 11 to 19 years which suffer from iron deficiency anemia and compare it with the serum concentration of hepcidin in the control groups, as well as to determine its connection with the parameters of the iron metabolism. METHODS: The research included 173 examinees, 89 of them suffered from iron deficiency anemia and 84 did not suffer from iron deficiency anemia (the latter represented the control group). Blood samples were collected from all study participants. The samples were analyzed for complete blood count and parameters of iron metabolism. ELISA method was used for establishing serum hepcidin levels. RESULTS: The research showed that the concentration of hepcidin is statistically lower in children (4.4 ng/mL) and adolescents (4.1 ng/mL) who suffer from iron deficiency anemia in comparison with the control group (14 ng/mL, 10 ng/mL, respectively). The positive correlation between serum hepcidin level and iron in the serum, ferritin, the mean corpuscular volume and transferrin saturation was confirmed, but the negative one occurred in serum hepcidin level, transferrin and reticulocytes. CONCLUSIONS: The age of the examinees does not influence the level of serum hepcidin which makes it a more sensitive indicator of the level of iron in the body. Besides this, serum hepcidin is a reliable biological marker for the assessment of iron deficiency anemia.