IL6 and anemia (phenotype): Recent studies [38, 39] have revealed that the expression of hepcidin is upregulated in patients with IBD and that the increased expression of hepcidin mediates ACD in CD patients, which is relevant to the serum IL-6 level in the environment of inflammation, but the association between hepcidin and the disease activity and the specific mechanisms involved in anemia remain to be confirmed in IBD.