Down-regulation of hepcidin resulting from long-term treatment with an anti–IL-6 receptor antibody (tocilizumab) improves anemia of inflammation in multicentric Castleman disease

Dysregulated production of hepcidin is implicated in anemia of inflammation, whereas interleukin-6 (IL-6) is a major inducer of hepcidin production. Overproduction of IL-6 is responsible for pathogenesis of multicentric Castleman disease (MCD), a rare lymphoproliferative disorder accompanied by s…