SummaryBackgroundAnemia represents a significant cause of maternal and perinatal mortality, as well as child mortality. The aim of the research was to determine the serum concentration of hepcidin in children aged 6 months to 2 years and adolescents aged 11 to 19 years which suffer from iron deficiency anemia and compare it with the serum concentration of hepcidin in the control groups, as well as to determine its connection with the parameters of the iron metabolism.MethodsThe research included 173 examinees, 89 of them suffered from iron deficiency anemia and 84 did not suffer from iron deficiency anemia (the latter represented the control group). Blood samples were collected from all study participants. The samples were analyzed for complete blood count and parameters of iron metabolism. ELISA method was used for establishing serum hepcidin levels.ResultsThe research showed that the concentration of hepcidin is statistically lower in children (4.4 ng/mL) and adolescents (4.1 ng/mL) who suffer from iron deficiency anemia in comparison with the control group (14 ng/mL, 10 ng/mL, respectively). The positive correlation between serum hepcidin level and iron in the serum, ferritin, the mean corpuscular volume and transferrin saturation was confirmed, but the negative one occurred in serum hepcidin level, transferrin and reticulocytes.ConclusionsThe age of the examinees does not influence the level of serum hepcidin which makes it a more sensitive indicator of the level of iron in the body. Besides this, serum hepcidin is a reliable biological marker for the assessment of iron deficiency anemia.
SummaryBackground: Anemia is a global public health problem of endemic proportions, especially in women, and with serious health consequences. Anemia was defined according to the World Health Organization criteria as hemoglobin concentration <130 g/L for men and <120 g/L for women. The incidence of anemia varies between regions, so the aim of the study was to determine the incidence of anemia in a randomly selected sample of adult working individuals of both sexes, in Vojvodina. Methods: The study included a total of 6087 subjects (4658 men and 1429 non-pregnant women) aged 18-65 years who presented for a regular checkup at the Public Health Institute of Vojvodina. Blood specimen collection was performed by antecubital venipuncture in all subjects. Results: The results showed that the incidence of anemia in adults in Vojvodina was 7.7%, and it was more frequent in women (20%) than in men (3.86%). The most frequent was normocytic anemia, whereas microcytic anemia was less prevalent. Macrocytic anemia was found in only 3.3% of subjects, exclusively in women. The greatest proportion of anemic subjects, regardless of sex, had hemoglobin levels that indicated mild anemia (Hb 100 -119 g/L for women, and 100-129 g/L for men). Only 4% of men and 12% of women
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