Serum prohepcidin levels in patients with rheumatoid arthritis and its relationship with disease activity, treatment, and laboratory parameters

Authors : Müzeyyen Günay Örkmez, Özlem Altındağ, Mazlum Serdar Akaltun, Ahmet Akyol, Savaş Gürsoy, Ali Gür

Pages : 1025-1034

Doi:10.17826/cumj.1712313

View : 69 | Download : 232

Publication Date : 2025-12-22

Article Type : Research Paper

Abstract :Purpose: This study aimed to compare serum prohepcidin levels in patients with rheumatoid arthritis (RA) and healthy controls, and to evaluate their potential associations with medication use, disease activity, quality of life, and laboratory parameters. Materials and Methods: This cross-sectional study included 59 patients aged 18–75 years diagnosed with RA according to the 2010 American College of Rheumatology/European League Against Rheumatism (ACR/EULAR) classification criteria, along with 64 age- and sex-matched healthy controls. Disease activity was assessed using the Disease Activity Score 28 (DAS28), functional status using the Health Assessment Questionnaire (HAQ), and pain intensity using the Visual Analog Scale (VAS). Serum prohepcidin levels were measured using enzyme-linked immunosorbent assay (ELISA). Laboratory parameters, including C-reactive protein (CRP), erythrocyte sedimentation rate (ESR), rheumatoid factor (RF), iron, ferritin, hemoglobin, and transferrin, were extracted from patient records. Results: In the RA group, 80% of patients using TNF inhibitors and 85.3% of those receiving conventional DMARDs (cDMARDs) were female. In the control group, 87.5% were female. Hemoglobin and serum iron levels were significantly higher in the control group compared with both treatment groups. Median transferrin levels were 298.0 g/L in the TNF group, 309.0 g/L in the cDMARD group, and 302.0 g/L in the control group. Median prohepcidin levels were 491.04 pg/mL in the TNF group, 594.27 pg/mL in the cDMARD group, and 534.44 pg/mL in the control group, with no statistically significant differences. Conclusion: Although prohepcidin levels did not differ significantly between RA patients and healthy controls, differences observed in hemoglobin and iron levels may reflect treatment-related alterations in iron metabolism. Further research is needed to elucidate the role of prohepcidin in RA pathophysiology and its potential relationship with disease activity and therapeutic modalities.
Keywords : romatoid artrit, prohepsidin, anti-tnf tedavi, inflamatuar markerlar

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