Hepcidin as a risk marker for cardiovascular disease in periodontitis-A case control study

Background: Hepcidin is a 25 amino acid peptide expressed in the liver. Discovered as late as 2002, hepcidin is a master regulator of iron metabolism and is sensitive to inflammation. Chronic periodontitis, being an inflammatory condition, affects levels of hepcidin. There exists a linear correlation between chronic generalized periodontitis (CGP) and cardiovascular disease (CVD). Objective: To assess and compare serum hepcidin between Group I (Control Group-CGP without CVD) and Group II (Case Group-CGP with CVD). Methods: Blood samples of 20 patients from Group I and 20 patients from Group II were collected and centrifuged to separate serum samples. ELISA kit was used for the estimation of serum hepcidin levels. The statistical analysis was done using G-Power version 3.1 software. Results: The serum hepcidin levels in Group I and Group II were found to be insignificant (P = 0.742679, P < .05). Conclusion: Serum hepcidin levels were higher in Group I when compared with Group II. We can conclude that there is an increase in the hepcidin levels due to inflammatory conditions. However, using hepcidin as a biomarker in CVD needs further examination using a larger sample size with long-term observations.