title: Serum hepcidin measured by immunochemical and mass-spectrometric methods and their correlation with iron status indicators in healthy children aged 0.5-3 y.
abstract: BACKGROUND
  The diagnostic use of hepcidin is limited by the absence of standardization and lack of age-specific reference ranges in children in particular. The aim of this study was to determine reference ranges of serum hepcidin in healthy children aged 0.5-3 y using mass spectometry (MS) and a commercial immunochemical (IC) assay, and to investigate its association with other indicators of iron status and inflammation.
  
  
  METHODS
  We included 400 healthy children aged 0.5-3 y. We constructed reference ranges for MS-hepcidin and IC-hepcidin concentrations using the median, P2.5, and P97.5 in a normative population of 219 children with no anemia, no infection and/or inflammation, and no iron deficiency.
  
  
  RESULTS
  Median concentrations (P2.5-P97.5) of MS-hepcidin and IC-hepcidin were 3.6 nmol/l (0.6-13.9 nmol/l) and 7.9 nmol/l (1.9-28.6 nmol/l), respectively. We found a good correlation between both methods. However, MS-hepcidin was consistently lower than IC-hepcidin. Hepcidin correlated with ferritin and C-reactive protein.
  
  
  CONCLUSIONS
  We provide reference ranges for hepcidin for an MS and commercial IC method. Absolute values between assays differed significantly, but hepcidin concentrations obtained by MS and IC methods correlate with each other, and both correlate with ferritin and CRP.
authors.affiliation: Department of Pediatrics, Juliana Children's Hospital/ HAGA Hospital, The Hague, The Netherlands.
authors.forename: Lieke
authors.initials: L
authors.lastname: Uijterschout
authors.affiliation: Department of Laboratory Medicine, Radboud University Medical Center, Nijmegen, The Netherlands.
authors.forename: Dorine W
authors.initials: DW
authors.lastname: Swinkels
authors.affiliation: Department of Clinical Sciences, Pediatrics, Umeå University, Umeå, Sweden.
authors.forename: Magnus
authors.initials: M
authors.lastname: Domellöf
authors.affiliation: Department of Clinical Sciences, Pediatrics, Umeå University, Umeå, Sweden.
authors.forename: Carina
authors.initials: C
authors.lastname: Lagerqvist
authors.affiliation: Department of Clinical Chemistry, LabWest, HAGA Hospital, The Hague, The Netherlands.
authors.forename: Cisca
authors.initials: C
authors.lastname: Hudig
authors.affiliation: Department of Laboratory Medicine, Radboud University Medical Center, Nijmegen, The Netherlands.
authors.forename: Harrold
authors.initials: H
authors.lastname: Tjalsma
authors.affiliation: HAGA Academy, HAGA Hospital, The Hague, The Netherlands.
authors.forename: Rimke
authors.initials: R
authors.lastname: Vos
authors.affiliation: 1] Department of Pediatrics, VU University Medical Center, Amsterdam, The Netherlands [2] Department of Pediatrics, Emma Children's Hospital/Academic Medical Center, Amsterdam, The Netherlands.
authors.forename: Johannes B
authors.initials: JB
authors.lastname: van Goudoever
authors.affiliation: Department of Pediatrics, Juliana Children's Hospital/ HAGA Hospital, The Hague, The Netherlands.
authors.forename: Frank
authors.initials: F
authors.lastname: Brus
mesh_terms: D002675:Child, Preschool; D005260:Female; D064451:Hepcidins / Q000097:blood*; D006801:Humans; D007223:Infant; D007501:Iron / Q000097:blood*; D008297:Male; D013058:Mass Spectrometry / Q000379:methods*; D012016:Reference Values
chemical_list: D064451:Hepcidins; D007501:Iron