Serum Pro-Hepcidin Level in Helicobacter Pylori-Infected Iron Deficiency Anemia Patients.

Helicobacter pylori infection seems to subvert the human iron regulatory mechanism, and thus up-regulate hepcidin that results in unexplained iron deficiency anemia (IDA). We evaluated serum pro-hepcidin levels before and after H. pylori eradication in IDA patients to assess whether it plays a role in H. pylori-related IDA.

Subjects diagnosed as unexplained IDA underwent upper gastrointestinal endoscopy and colonoscopy to diagnose H. pylori infection and to exclude gastrointestinal bleeding. Blood sampling were done before H. pylori eradication and after a month. Serum pro-hepcidin level was measured by a commercialized enzyme-linked Immunosorbent assay kit.

Initial serum pro-hepcidin levels were not different between 23 H. pylori-infected subjects (212.9 ± 88.2 ng/ml) and nine non-infected subjects (217.8 ± 56.2 ng/ml) (p=0.879). Serum pro-hepcidin level decreased after either dual oral iron replacement with H. pylori eradication (p=0.011) or H. pylori eradication without iron replacement (p=0.075). It also decreased after iron replacement in non-infected subjects (p=0.086). The reduction ratio of serum pro-hepcidin level after the treatment was not different between three groups (p=0.972).

Serum pro-hepcidin level decreases after either H. pylori eradication or oral iron administration with IDA improvement. Serum pro-hepcidin is related to the status of anemia rather than the presence of H. pylori itself.

No relevant conflicts of interest to declare.