Sir,
The recent report on serum hepcidin and COPD is very interesting.[1] Duru et al. concluded that “serum hepcidin level may be a useful marker in COPD.”[1] As Duru et al. proposed, a further confirmation is required. An important point is there is no complete assessment on hepatitis profile (such as hepatitis B, hepatitis C, etc.) needed. Also, some genetic disorders can also alter the hepcidin level that has to be ruled out. Thalassemia[2] as well as some other rare genetic mutations[3] should be ruled out. It is still very inconclusive to conclude for any usefulness of hepcidin as a new biomarker for COPD.
References
- 1.Duru S, Bilgin E, Ardiç S. Hepcidin: A useful marker in chronic obstructive pulmonary disease. Ann Thorac Med. 2012;7:31–5. doi: 10.4103/1817-1737.91562. [DOI] [PMC free article] [PubMed] [Google Scholar]
- 2.Origa R, Galanello R. Pathophysiology of beta thalassaemia. Pediatr Endocrinol Rev. 2011;8(Suppl 2):263–70. [PubMed] [Google Scholar]
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