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Objective The aim of this study was to assess serum hepcidin level and iron status and their correlation with BMI in a sample of obese Egyptian children.Participants and methods A total of 50 obese children with mean age 7.71 ± 2.55 years and 30 apparently normal controls with mean age 6.88 ± 1.69 years were enrolled in this study. All children were subjected to full history taking, anthropometric assessment and measurement of hemoglobin, serum ferritin, total iron-binding capacity (TIBC), and hepcidin levels.Results Hemoglobin and ferritin levels were lower, whereas TIBC and serum hepcidin levels were higher in obese children than controls. Serum hepcidin level correlated positively with Z-score BMI (r = 0.781, P = 0.00) and TIBC9 (r = 0.523, P = 0.00) but negatively with Hb (r = -0.715, P = 0.00) and ferritin (r = -0.218, P = 0.05).Conclusion The present study reported lower Hb and ferritin levels but higher TIBC and hepcidin levels among obese children. Strong positive correlation was found between hepcidin and Z-score BMI. Therefore, it could be concluded that obesity in children is associated with increased serum hepcidin level with a state of iron depletion.

Stunting represents a worldwide nutritional problem, which has many negative effects on child health and development. This study aimed to investigate the levels of insulin-like growth factor-1(IGF-1), total ghrelin and insulin resistance, as well as certain micronutrients affecting children growth and skeletal maturity in nutritionally stunted Egyptian children. Stunted children were selected to have height for age Z score (HAZ) <-2 standard deviation, whereas, control children were selected to have HAZ >-2. Stunted children were further classified according to weight for age Z score into normal and underweight groups. All stunted children exhibited significantly lower serum levels of IGF-1, Ca, and Mg compared to normal control children. Additionally, both normal weight and underweight groups showed insignificantly higher total ghrelin levels than the control values. Only stunted underweight children showed significantly lower serum Zn levels compared to control children. Meanwhile, no significant differences were observed in serum glucose and insulin levels, pancreatic beta cell function and insulin resistance between different study groups. In conclusion, these findings highlight the importance of early detection of abnormalities in growth hormone / IGF-1 axis and micronutrients levels in hope that appropriate intervention strategies could improve their status to obtain full growth potential in nutritionally stunted Egyptian children.