Study the association of the levels of hepcidin with the development of anemia in obese patients

The present study has been designed to explore the relationship between obesity and anemia. For this purpose, 100 obese people were collected for the study with 30 healthy lean people with matched ages as control for the study. The blood of all participants was examined for hemoglobin (Hb), ferritin, hepcidin, iron, catalase, white blood cells (WBC) count, mean corpuscular volume (MCV), mean corpuscular hemoglobin (MCH), and uric acid. The results have indicated significant reduction of Hb level, significant elevation in the levels of ferritin and hepcidin, significant reduction of iron level, significant reduction of catalase activity, significant elevation in the WBC count, non-significant differences in the MCV and MCH, and significant elevation in the level of uric acid in obese people compared to lean people. In conclusion, obesity can be considered as risk factor for anemia development and lose in the ability of antioxidant defense system.