ABSTRACT :
Hepcidin is the central regulator of systemic iron homeostasis.
Dysregulation of hepcidin production results in a variety of iron disorders.
Hepcidin deficiency is the cause of iron overload in hereditary
hemochromatosis, iron-loading anemias, and hepatitis C. Hepcidin excess is
associated with anemia of inflammation, chronic kidney disease and ironrefractory
iron deficiency anemia. The main objective of this study is to
elucidate the correlation between Hepcidin and Iron as adiagnostic
biomarkers in Hcv infected patients . infection with hepatitis c virus is
amajor cause of choronic liver disease , many experimental and clinical
studies suggest that excessive iron in CHC is a cofactor promoting the
progression of liver damage and increasing the risk for fibrosis. This study
contain two groups; Group I (healthy subjects): This group included fifteen
healthy persons with ages ranged (33-63) years, they had no history of liver
disease which may interfere with the studied parameters, This group < br />represents 30%. Group II : This group included thirty five patients infected
with hepatitis C virus, their ages range from 41 to 76 years, This group < br />represents 70%.All clinical individuals in this study were collected from
Outpatient Clinics of Zagazig University Hospitals. The following
parameters ; Complete blood pictures , Liver functions tests , Kidney
functions tests, Hepcidin levels and Iron levels were performed for all
groups.The obtained result revealed asignificant decrease of hepcidin in
HCV infected patients compared to the control group Also, asignificant
increase in Iron level in infected patients compared to control group .