Hepcidin-to-Ferritin Ratio as an Early Diagnostic Index of Iron Overload in β-Thalassemia Major Patients. 2022

Burhan A Zaman, and Shereen A Ibrahim
Department of Basic Sciences, College of Pharmacy, University of Duhok, Duhok City, Iraq.

Hepcidin (HEPC) hormone production is expected to be elevated in cases accompanying iron overload, but the opposite impact of ineffective erythropoiesis in β-thalassemia major (β-TM) patients overrides this effect. The role of the HEPC-to-ferritin (FER) ratio and its components in iron metabolism along with their diagnostic cutoff values, sensitivity, specificity, and accuracy in β-TM patients with iron overload, were examined in this study. This was a 1:1 case-control study with 120 participants, ages ranging from 2 to 30 years of both sexes, who were assigned into two groups: 60 β-TM patients with iron overload, and a control group, comprising 60 healthy individuals matched by gender and age. In the present study, we found slightly elevated serum HEPC concentration (21.9 ng/mL) compared to the controls (9.9 ng/mL), which was not statistically significant (p =0.1), and the median HEPC-to-FER ratio of the cases was significantly lower than the controls, with the median case-control difference of (-0.366; p < 0.001). Our results revealed a statistically significant impact (p < 0.001) of mean age on the serum HEPC level with the inverse linear correlation of (-0.487, p < 0.001). The area under the curve of the HEPC-to-FER ratio was 0.999 and the optimum cutoff value was 0.046 ng/mL (p < 0.001) with 100.0% sensitivity and 98.3% specificity. In conclusion, we found that serum HEPC-to-FER ratio, with an accuracy of 99.2%, may serve as an excellent index for the diagnosis of iron overload in β-TM patients differentiating them from nonthalassemic controls.

UI MeSH Term Description Entries
D007501 Iron A metallic element with atomic symbol Fe, atomic number 26, and atomic weight 55.85. It is an essential constituent of HEMOGLOBINS; CYTOCHROMES; and IRON-BINDING PROTEINS. It plays a role in cellular redox reactions and in the transport of OXYGEN. Iron-56,Iron 56
D008297 Male Males
D002648 Child A person 6 to 12 years of age. An individual 2 to 5 years old is CHILD, PRESCHOOL. Children
D002675 Child, Preschool A child between the ages of 2 and 5. Children, Preschool,Preschool Child,Preschool Children
D005260 Female Females
D005293 Ferritins Iron-containing proteins that are widely distributed in animals, plants, and microorganisms. Their major function is to store IRON in a nontoxic bioavailable form. Each ferritin molecule consists of ferric iron in a hollow protein shell (APOFERRITINS) made of 24 subunits of various sequences depending on the species and tissue types. Basic Isoferritin,Ferritin,Isoferritin,Isoferritin, Basic
D006728 Hormones Chemical substances having a specific regulatory effect on the activity of a certain organ or organs. The term was originally applied to substances secreted by various ENDOCRINE GLANDS and transported in the bloodstream to the target organs. It is sometimes extended to include those substances that are not produced by the endocrine glands but that have similar effects. Hormone,Hormone Receptor Agonists,Agonists, Hormone Receptor,Receptor Agonists, Hormone
D006801 Humans Members of the species Homo sapiens. Homo sapiens,Man (Taxonomy),Human,Man, Modern,Modern Man
D000293 Adolescent A person 13 to 18 years of age. Adolescence,Youth,Adolescents,Adolescents, Female,Adolescents, Male,Teenagers,Teens,Adolescent, Female,Adolescent, Male,Female Adolescent,Female Adolescents,Male Adolescent,Male Adolescents,Teen,Teenager,Youths
D000328 Adult A person having attained full growth or maturity. Adults are of 19 through 44 years of age. For a person between 19 and 24 years of age, YOUNG ADULT is available. Adults

Related Publications

Burhan A Zaman, and Shereen A Ibrahim
May 2022, Transfusion clinique et biologique : journal de la Societe francaise de transfusion sanguine,
Burhan A Zaman, and Shereen A Ibrahim
October 2017, Indian journal of pediatrics,
Burhan A Zaman, and Shereen A Ibrahim
December 2017, Indian journal of pediatrics,
Burhan A Zaman, and Shereen A Ibrahim
August 2019, Open access Macedonian journal of medical sciences,
Burhan A Zaman, and Shereen A Ibrahim
January 2019, International journal of hematology-oncology and stem cell research,
Burhan A Zaman, and Shereen A Ibrahim
December 2000, AJR. American journal of roentgenology,
Burhan A Zaman, and Shereen A Ibrahim
July 2013, Blood,
Copied contents to your clipboard!