Serum prohepcidin levels in children with solid tumors, inflammatory bowel disease and iron deficiency anemia.
BACKGROUND
Prohepcidin is one of the regulators of iron metabolism. Few studies examined its relation with solid tumors (ST), inflammatory bowel disease (IBD) and iron deficiency anemia (IDA) in children.


METHODS
We measured serum prohepcidin (SP), soluble transferrin receptor (sTfR), serum ferritin (SF), serum iron (SI), transferrin saturation (TS), erythrocyte sedimentation rate (ESR) and C-reactive protein (CRP) levels in ST (n = 16), IBD (n = 15), IDA (n = 14) and controls (n = 18).


RESULTS
The mean SP was significantly higher in ST and IBD than in IDA and controls. SP was significantly correlated with SF in ST, IBD and ESR for IBD and CRP for ST and hemoglobin for ST.


CONCLUSIONS
Elevated SP may be a clinically important predictor of inflammation and leads to anemia by impairing iron utilization in IBD and ST. SP decreases in IDA and is correlated with TS but not with SF or sTfR.
Kaya
Zühre
Z
Pediatric Hematology Unit, Gazi University. zuhrekaya@gazi.edu.tr
Yildiz
Ejderhan
E
Gursel
Turkiz
T
Albayrak
Meryem
M
Kocak
Ulker
U
Karadeniz
Ceyda
C
Dalgiç
Buket
B
D000293:Adolescent; D018798:Anemia, Iron-Deficiency / Q000097:blood / Q000175:diagnosis* / Q000209:etiology*; D023181:Antimicrobial Cationic Peptides / Q000097:blood*; D002097:C-Reactive Protein / Q000032:analysis; D016022:Case-Control Studies; D002648:Child; D002675:Child, Preschool; D005260:Female; D005293:Ferritins / Q000097:blood; D064451:Hepcidins; D006801:Humans; D015212:Inflammatory Bowel Diseases / Q000150:complications*; D008297:Male; D009369:Neoplasms / Q000150:complications*; D011498:Protein Precursors / Q000097:blood*; D011990:Receptors, Transferrin / Q000097:blood*; D014168:Transferrin / Q000032:analysis
D023181:Antimicrobial Cationic Peptides; D064451:Hepcidins; D011498:Protein Precursors; D011990:Receptors, Transferrin; D014168:Transferrin; D002097:C-Reactive Protein; D005293:Ferritins