Urinary hepcidin concentration in assessment of iron homeostasis in pediatrics

Background Iron deficiency is a worldwide health problem that can cause long term consequences. Hepatic hormone hepcidin regulates systemic iron homeostasis. Urinary hepcidin level could be an effective tool in assessment of iron status. Aim The present study aims to evaluate the diagnostic role of urinary hepcidin to predict different stages of iron deficiency (ID) in children. Methods We studied 75 children with iron deficiency and 25 healthy control children. The diagnostic performance of urinary hepcidin was estimated by analyzing the receiver operating characteristic curve. Diagnostic cut-off point with a high predictive value for iron deficiency were selected. Results Urinary hepcidin levels were significantly lower in all stages of iron deficiency than in the control group. Significant positive correlations between urinary hepcidin level with hemoglobin, mean corpuscular volume, serum iron, ferritin and Tsat had been confirmed. Hepcidin cutoff values of <= 369 ng/ml in ID stage -1, 315 ng/ml <= in ID stage-2 and 293 ng/ml in ID stage-3 were associated with a high diagnostic likelihood for iron deficiency. Conclusion We found that in all stages of ID, hepcidin levels were significantly lower than the control group. Urinary hepcidin assay provides a reliable non-invasive screening mean of diagnosing ID state in children. (C) 2019 The Egyptian Journal of Haematology