Background: Hepcidin is the master regulator of iron metabolism. Upregulation of hepcidin expression is triggered by proinflamtory cytokines and it considered being a major cause of anemia of inflammation. Recently it has been shown that vitamin D suppresses hepcidin expression.
We aimed to examine the interrelation between hepcidin, vitamin D status and anemia in children with acute infection.
Methods: Ninety one patients (45 girls, 46 boys, mean age 7.3±5) were enrolled after admission to the pediatric ward.
Sixty two patients had infectious disease (30 without anemia and 32 with anemia).
Twenty eight patients were hospitalized for non-infectious causes.
Blood was obtained for measurements of CBC, 25 (OH) D, hepcidin, IL-6, iron and ferritin and compared between 3 groups.
Result: Data is depicted in table 1. Hepcidin and IL-6 were significantly higher in the anemic infectious group compared to non- anemic infectious and control patients. We found vitamin D deficiency in 6 patients with infection and anemia, 2 in the infectious and no anemia group and none in the control group.
Mean 25 (OH) D levels were significantly lower among infectious and anemic patients.
Correlation analyses showed significant associations between hepcidin levels and ferritin (R2 0.47, P-0.001)
and transferrin (R2- 0.57, p<0.001), but not between hepcidin and vitamin D.
Conclusion: We suggest that higher IL-6 and lower 25 (OH)D levels leads to higher hepcidin and
subsequently anemia of acute infection in pediatric population.
*Difference between the anemic infectious paitents to both the infectious with no anemia and control
** difference between anemic infectious to infectious with no anemia
