Lab Med Online.  2015 Jul;5(3):149-156. 10.3343/lmo.2015.5.3.149.

Hepcidin Level and Iron Parameters in Patients with Chronic Kidney Disease

• Seo JY
• Song YH
• Park MJ
• Kim MJ
• Seo YH
• Ahn JY
• Kim KH
• Jeong JH
• Chung W
• Park PW

• KMID: 1821783
• DOI: http://doi.org/10.3343/lmo.2015.5.3.149

Abstract

BACKGROUND
Hepcidin, a key regulator of iron homeostasis, is associated with iron metabolism imbalance in patients with chronic kidney disease (CKD). However, serum hepcidin level in anemic patients with CKD presents a contradictory picture. We investigated the relationship between serum hepcidin-25 level and iron parameters in patients with CKD.
METHODS
We defined and categorized patients with CKD according to the Kidney Disease Outcomes Quality Initiative (KDOQI) guidelines. We analyzed the relationship between serum hepcidin-25 level and iron parameters [serum iron, total iron-binding capacity (TIBC), unbound iron-binding capacity (UIBC), transferrin saturation, and ferritin levels] according to the CKD stage and clinical and laboratory characteristics.
RESULTS
Hb level, TIBC, and UIBC decreased and ferritin level increased (Ptrend<0.001) (stage 1-2, 28; stage 3, 40; stage 4, 36; stage 5, 42) as the CKD stage progressed. Serum hepcidin-25 level showed no significant trend with the progressing CKD stage [stage 1-2, 13.7 (3.7-25.0) ng/mL; stage 3, 14.0 (0.8-26.5) ng/mL; stage 4, 13.9 (2.0-32.1) ng/mL; stage 5, 13.8 (0.5-42.4) ng/mL; Ptrend=0.618]. No significant relationship was noted between serum hepcidin-25 level and kidney function parameters, Hb levels, or iron parameters (P>0.05).
CONCLUSIONS
Serum hepcidin-25 level was not found to be associated with iron parameters or clinical status of CKD patients in our study. Determination of hepcidin-25 levels may not provide more information than conventional iron parameters in monitoring iron metabolism in CKD patients. However, further studies are needed to establish the clinical utility of hepcidin measurement in CKD patients.

Keyword

Hepcidin-25; Chronic kidney disease; Anemia; Iron metabolism

MeSH Terms

Anemia
Ferritins
Hepcidins*
Homeostasis
Humans
Iron*
Kidney
Kidney Diseases
Metabolism
Renal Insufficiency, Chronic*
Transferrin
Ferritins
Iron
Transferrin

Figure

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  Fig. 1 Levels of serum hepcidin-25 in patients with chronic kidney disease and control population. CKD, chronic kidney disease.

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  Fig. 2 Relationship between the levels of serum hepcidin-25 and creatinine (A), eGFR (B), hemoglobin (C), iron (D), transferrin saturation (E), and ferritin (F) in patients with chronic kidney disease.

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