Background: Reported levels of hepcidin, the major regulator of systemic iron homeostasis in CHF patients, are controversial. Relationship of hepcidin with inflammation markers, which are typically increased in CHF, is understudied; this issue is practically unstudied in old and older CHF patients.
Aim: To study the role of hepcidin in development of anemia of chronic disease (ACD) and the association of hepcidin with inflammation in old and older CHF patients.
Materials and methods: Ninety old and older patients with IHD were evaluated. 35 of these patients had CHF and ACD and 35 patients had CHF without ACD. The control group (CG) consisted of 20 IHD patients without CHF and ACD. Serum concentration of hepcidin was measured using ELISA by the competitive binding principle.
Results: Patients with severe, congestive FC IV CHF prevailed among CHF patients with ACD, and their CHF was characterized with longer duration, more frequent hospitalizations, and lower compliance with the treatment. Significantly higher mean levels of hepcidin, C-reactive protein (CRP), erythrocyte sedimentation rate, and insignificantly higher levels of ferritin were observed in CHF patients with than without ACD. The high hepcidin, indexes of inflammation tests, and a significant positive correlation of hepcidin with hemoglobin levels suggested inflammation as a cause for the increased hepcidin, which induced anemia in old and older CHF patients with ACD.
Keywords: chronic heart failure, anemia of chronic disease, hepcidin, old and older age.