Introduction
The aim of this study was to determine whether there is a relation between serum
prohepcidin level and disease activity of rheumatoid arthritis (RA) and systemic
lupus erythematous (SLE), and to discover whether it has a role in the anaemia of
chronic disease occurring in RA and SLE patients.
Patients and methods
This study was carried out on 30 patients suffering from RA and 30 patients
suffering from SLE. In addition, 20 healthy volunteers were recruited as
controls. All patients and controls were subjected to full history taking, thorough
clinical examination, locomotor system examination, assessment of the disease
activity in RA patients using the Disease Activity Score-28, assessment of the
disease activity in SLE patients using Systemic Lupus Erythematous Disease
Activity Index, laboratory investigations, including complete blood count,
erythrocyte sedimentation rate (ESR), rheumatoid factor and C-reactive protein
(CRP), and measurement of serum prohepcidin levels by the enzyme-linked
immunosorbant assay.
Results
The mean serum prohepcidin concentration was 395.2±551.4ng/ml in RA patients,
whereas it was 381.5±88.07 in SLE patients and 121.4±11.1ng/ml in healthy
volunteers. The prohepcidin concentration correlated with the rheumatoid factor, Creactive
protein, ESR, disease duration, morning stiffness, tender joint count,
swollen joint count, Larsen score, haemoglobin level and Disease Activity
Score-28 in RA patients .There were positive significant correlations between
the mean serum prohepcidin concentration and platelets number, haemoglobin
level and ESR in SLE patients and insignificant correlations between the mean
serum prohepcidin concentration and Systemic Lupus Erythematous Disease
Activity Index.
Conclusion
Prohepcidin could be considered as a useful marker for RA, but not for SLE.
Prohepcidin may have a role in anaemia of chronic disease occurring in RA and
SLE.