Abstract
This study highlights the iron profile of myelodysplastic patients in the era of hepcidin and its pro-hormone, pro-hepcidin. Previous studies have focused on the anemia of chronic renal failure, thalassemia, and hemochromatosis. We determined if pro-hepcidin played a role in iron overload in patients with myelodysplasia (MDS). Thirty adult patients with MDS and 20 healthy adults (controls) were selected. Our results revealed a statistically significant difference in pro-hepcidin levels between the two tested groups (Z = 2.9, p = 0.003). There was a weak positive correlation between pro-hepcidin and hematocrit (HCT; r = 0.49, p = 0.02) in the healthy group only. Neither age, subtypes of MDS, gender, soluble transferrin receptor (sTFR) or ferritin affected the pro-hepcidin level in patients with MDS. The role of ineffective erythropoiesis in the regulation of pro-hepcidin is superior to the role of chronic blood transfusion therapy.
Acknowledgements
Special thanks to all members of the Haematology Clinic, Cairo University for their help in collection of data.
Declaration of interest: None to declare.