Abstract
Hepcidin is an important peptide hormone for iron homeostasis. It was
shown to be increased in COVID-19 patients and may be a prognostic
marker. In this study, the aim was to investigate serum hepcidin values
and other iron metabolism parameters following the first and second
COVID-19 vaccination. Thirty-eight healthcare workers were included in
the study. Serum ferritin, hepcidin, iron, COVID-19 IgG and unsaturated
iron binding capacity (UIBC) values were measured after the first
vaccination (PRE) and second vaccination (POST). Changes and
associations of serum parameters were statistically analyzed. It was
determined that there was no statistically significant difference
between the pre and post levels of ferritin (p=0.122), serum iron
(p=0.127) or UIBC (p=0.145). Hepcidin was found to be significantly
different between PRE and POST samples (p=0.0001). Hepcidin (PRE) was
found to be significantly higher than the POST levels. Interestingly,
there was no statistically significant relationship between the PRE and
POST changes of ferritin and hepcidin (p=0.063). The association of PRE
and POST changes of other parameters were also analyzed and a
significant negative correlation between PRE and POST changes of serum
iron and UIBC were found (rho=-0.751, p=0.0001). It was observed a
decrease in hepcidin measures after second vaccination compared to the
values after first vaccination. Vaccination affects serum hepcidin and
this may be related with the interaction of hepcidin and the immune
response.