Abstract: OBJECTIV To explore the correlation between expression of hepcidin and interleukin-6 (IL-6) and anemia in children with acute leukemia (AL). METHODS A total of 30 AL children who were treated in pediatric hematology department from Sep 2013 to Jan 2015 were recruited as the study objects and were divided into the initial treatment group and the remission group, meanwhile, 30 healthy children who received physical examination were included in the control group. The levels of serum hepcidin and IL-6 were determined by using enzyme-linked immunosorbent assay (ELISA), the hemoglobin (Hb) level was detected with the use of blood analysis system, and the correlation between hepcidin and IL-6, Hb of the AL children was observed. RESULTS The serum hepcidin level of the initial treatment group was (82.87±37.21)ng/mL, the remission group (50.55±33.46)ng/mL, the control group (17.20±7.91)ng/mL; the IL-6 level was (15.75±5.04)pg/mL in the initial treatment group, (10.89±3.96)pg/mL in the remission group, (7.77±4.71)pg/mL in the control group; the Hb level was (79.97±20.58)g/L in the initial treatment group, (109.6±20.66)g/L in the remission group, (129.33±9.22)g/L in the control group. There was significant difference in the expression level of hepcidin, IL-6, or Hb among the three groups (P<0.05). The hepcidin was positively correlated with the IL-6 in the initial group (r=0.709;P=0.000), and the hepcidin level was negatively correlated with the concentration of Hb (r=-0.414;P=0.023). CONCLUSION The expression level of hepcidin of the AL children is positively correlated with the severity of clinical anemia, and the anemia may be associated with the up-regulated expression of hepcidin induced by inflammatory factors.