1287 Journal of Crohn's and Colitis, 2019, 1287–1291 doi:10.1093/ecco-jcc/jjz056 Advance Access publication March 06, 2019 Original Article Copyright © 2019 European Crohn’s and Colitis Organisation (ECCO). Published by Oxford University Press. All rights reserved. For permissions, please email: journals.permissions@oup.com Original Article Vitamin D Decreases Hepcidin and Inflammatory Markers in Newly Diagnosed Inflammatory Bowel Disease Paediatric Patients: A Prospective Study Hadar Moran-Lev, a,b, *Tut Galai, b, *Anat Yerushalmy-Feler, b Yosef Weisman, a Adi Anafy, a Varda Deutsch, c Michal Cipok, c Ronit Lubetzky, a Shlomi Cohen b a Department of Pediatrics, Dana Dwek Children’s Hospital, Sackler Faculty of Medicine, Tel Aviv University, Tel Aviv, Israel b Pediatric Gastroenterology Unit, Dana Dwek Children’s Hospital, Sackler Faculty of Medicine, Tel Aviv University, Tel Aviv, Israel c Hematology Laboratories, Tel Aviv Sourasky Medical Center, Sackler Faculty of Medicine, Tel Aviv University, Tel Aviv, Israel *These authors contributed equally. Corresponding author: Hadar Moran-Lev, MD, Pediatric Gastroenterology Unit, Dana Dwek Children’s Hospital, Tel Aviv- Sourasky Medical Center, 6 Weizman Street, Tel Aviv, 6423906 Israel. Tel: (+972) 3 6974519; Fax: (+972) 3 6974181; Email: hadarm@tlvmc.gov.il Abstract Background and Aims: The role of hepcidin in inflammatory bowel disease [IBD] in children with anaemia is poorly understood. However, it has been shown that vitamin D suppresses hepcidin expression. We aimed to assess serum hepcidin levels and the effect of vitamin D treatment on those levels in newly diagnosed IBD paediatric patients. Methods: Eighty-five children were prospectively recruited in the Dana-Dwek Children’s Hospital [40 newly diagnosed IBD, 45 healthy controls, 47% female, mean age 13.5 ± 3.4 years]. Blood samples for measurement of interleukin 6 [IL-6], C-reactive protein [CRP], hepcidin, iron parameters and 25-hydroxyvitamin D [25-(OH)-D] levels were obtained at baseline. Patients with mild-to- moderate signs and symptoms of IBD were treated with 4000 units of vitamin D daily for 2 weeks, after which the blood tests were repeated. Results: Basal hepcidin, IL-6, CRP and platelet counts were significantly higher, and haemoglobin, serum iron and transferrin levels were significantly lower in the IBD children compared to controls [p < 0.001]. Eighteen patients completed 2 weeks of treatment with vitamin D. Following treatment, serum 25-(OH)-D concentrations increased by 40% [from 22.5 to 32.5 ng/mL], and serum hepcidin, CRP and ferritin levels decreased by 81%, 81% and 40% [from 33.9 to 6.7 ng/mL, from 23.9 to 4.7 mg/L, and from 27 to 16 ng/mL, respectively] [p ≤ 0.001]. Conclusion: Serum hepcidin levels were significantly higher in IBD paediatric patients compared to controls. Following vitamin D treatment, serum hepcidin concentration decreased significantly. These findings suggest a potential role for vitamin D in treating anaemia in IBD children. ClinicalTrials.gov number: NCT03145896 Key Words: Children; vitamin D; serum hepcidin; anaemia; inflammatory bowel disease Downloaded from https://academic.oup.com/ecco-jcc/article/13/10/1287/5370430 by guest on 08 June 2022