Serum prohepcidin levels in Helicobacter pylori infected patients with iron deficiency anemia.
OBJECTIVE
Helicobacter pylori (H. pylori) infection appears to subvert the human iron regulatory mechanism and thus upregulates hepcidin, resulting in unexplained iron-deficiency anemia (IDA). We evaluated serum prohepcidin levels before and after eradication of H. pylori in IDA patients to assess whether it plays a role in IDA related to H. pylori infection.


METHODS
Subjects diagnosed with unexplained IDA underwent upper gastrointestinal endoscopy and colonoscopy to confirm H. pylori infection and to exclude gastrointestinal bleeding. Blood was sampled before treatment to eradicate H. pylori and again 1 month later. Serum prohepcidin levels were measured using a commercial enzyme-linked immunosorbent assay kit.


RESULTS
Serum prohepcidin levels decreased significantly after oral iron replacement combined with H. pylori eradication (p = 0.011). The reduction ratio of serum prohepcidin levels after the treatment did not differ among the combined oral iron replacement and H. pylori eradication groups, the H. pylori eradication only group, and the iron replacement only group (p = 0.894).


CONCLUSIONS
Serum prohepcidin levels decrease after both H. pylori eradication and oral iron administration, with improvement in IDA. Serum concentration of prohepcidin is related to the anemia status, rather than to the current status of H. pylori infection, in IDA patients.
Department of Internal Medicine, Konkuk University School of Medicine, Seoul, Korea.
Sun-Young
SY
Lee
Eun Young
EY
Song
Yeo Min
YM
Yun
So Young
SY
Yoon
Yo Han
YH
Cho
Sung-Yong
SY
Kim
Mark Hong
MH
Lee
D000284:Administration, Oral; D000328:Adult; D000368:Aged; D018798:Anemia, Iron-Deficiency / Q000097:blood* / Q000188:drug therapy / Q000382:microbiology*; D023181:Antimicrobial Cationic Peptides / Q000097:blood*; D016099:Endoscopy, Gastrointestinal; D005260:Female; D005500:Follow-Up Studies; D016481:Helicobacter Infections / Q000097:blood* / Q000150:complications* / Q000473:pathology; D016480:Helicobacter pylori; D064451:Hepcidins; D006801:Humans; D007501:Iron / Q000008:administration & dosage; D008297:Male; D008875:Middle Aged; D011446:Prospective Studies; D011498:Protein Precursors / Q000097:blood*; D012720:Severity of Illness Index
D023181:Antimicrobial Cationic Peptides; D064451:Hepcidins; D011498:Protein Precursors; D007501:Iron