Hepcidin and iron metabolism in preterm infants

Background: Iron deficiency (ID) and ID anemia are widespread in low-income countries, particularly among preterm infants. Hepcidin is a key regulator of iron metabolism, which offers the possibility of new solutions to diagnose ID in premature infants. Objective: To explore the relationship between iron metabolism and hepcidin in premature infants. Materials and methods: The study involved 81 preterm infants between 28+1 and 36+6 who underwent iron status indicators and hepcidin testing at 6 months of corrected gestational age. The preterm infants were divided into two groups based on iron status indicators: ID and no ID. Results: Serum hepcidin was lower for premature infants with ID compared to those without ID (log10hepcidin, 1.18 +/- 0.44 vs 1.49 +/- 0.37, p = 0.002). A single-variate linear regression model was used to explore the correlation between hepcidin and other indicators of iron metabolism. A strongly positive relationship was observed between hepcidin levels and ferritin levels (p < 0.001) in the correlation analysis. Conclusions: Hepcidin can be used as an efficient indicator of iron storage and a promising indicator for the early diagnosis of ID in premature infants.