The Role of Prohepcidin and Hepcidin in Anemia Associated with Behcet’s Disease

The aim of the study is to investigate the role of circulating prohepcidin and hepcidin, which are homeostatic regulators of iron metabolism and mediators of inflammation, in anemia associated with Behcet’s disease (BD) and the differential diagnosis of healthy controls. Twenty patients with BD and twenty healthy controls were included in this prospective study. Laboratory tests including complete blood count, serum prohepcidin, hepcidin, iron, total iron binding capacity (TIBC), transferrin, ferritin, erythrocyte sedimentation rate (ESR) and C-reactive protein (CRP) were determined. Serum prohepcidin and hepcidin levels in patients with BD were significantly higher than healthy group. In the group with BD positive correlation was determined between the values of serum prohepcidin, hepcidin, hemoglobin, total binding capacity and ferritine. Serum prohepcidin and hepcidin levels are closely associated with disease activity in patients and might play a role in the pathobiology of chronic disease anemia associated with patients with BD.