J Korean Med Sci.  2010 Mar;25(3):348-352. 10.3346/jkms.2010.25.3.348.

Serum Pro-hepcidin Could Reflect Disease Activity in Patients with Rheumatoid Arthritis

• Kim HR
• Kim KW
• Yoon SY
• Kim SH
• Lee SH

• KMID: 1778027
• DOI: http://doi.org/10.3346/jkms.2010.25.3.348

Abstract

The aim of this study was to analyze the relationship between serum pro-hepcidin concentration and the anemia profiles of rheumatoid arthritis (RA) and to estimate the pro-hepcidin could reflect the disease activity of RA. RA disease activities were measured using Disease Activity Score 28 (DAS28), tender/swollen joint counts, erythrocyte sedimentation rate (ESR), and C-reactive protein (CRP). Anemia profiles such as hemoglobin, iron, total iron binding capacity (TIBC), ferritin, and transferrin levels were measured. Serum concentration of pro-hepcidin, the prohormone of hepcidin, was measured using enzyme-linked immunosorbent assay (ELISA). Mean concentration of serum pro-hepcidin was 237.6+/-67.9 ng/mL in 40 RA patients. The pro-hepcidin concentration was correlated with rheumatoid factor, CRP, ESR, and DAS28. There was a significant correlation between pro-hepcidin with tumor necrosis factor (TNF)-alpha, interleukin (IL)-1beta, and IL-6. The pro-hepcidin concentration was significantly higher in the patients with active RA (DAS28>5.1) than those with inactive to moderate RA (DAS28< or =5.1). However, the pro-hepcidin concentration did not correlate with the anemia profiles except hemoglobin level. There was no difference of pro-hepcidin concentration between the patients with anemia of chronic disease and those without. In conclusion, serum concentration of pro-hepcidin reflects the disease activity, regardless of the anemia states in RA patients, thus it may be another potential marker for disease activity of RA.

Keyword

Arthritis, Rheumatoid; Anemia; Hepcidin; Prohepcidin

MeSH Terms

Adult
Aged
Anemia/*blood
Anti-Bacterial Agents/blood
Antimicrobial Cationic Peptides/*blood
Arthritis, Rheumatoid/*blood/immunology/*physiopathology
Biological Markers/blood
Female
Humans
Interleukin-1beta/blood/immunology
Interleukin-6/blood/immunology
Male
Middle Aged
Protein Precursors/*blood
*Severity of Illness Index
Tumor Necrosis Factor-alpha/blood/immunology
Anti-Bacterial Agents
Antimicrobial Cationic Peptides
Biological Markers
Interleukin-1beta
Interleukin-6
Protein Precursors
Tumor Necrosis Factor-alpha

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