IL6 and nutritional disorder: Critically, iron metabolism is tightly intertwined with inflammation: pro-inflammatory cytokines (e.g., IL-6) upregulate hepcidin, which sequesters iron in macrophages and reduces intestinal iron absorption – creating a bidirectional “inflammation-iron deficiency” cycle.[25] Uncontrolled iron deficiency could independently lower Hb levels, while concurrent inflammation (reflected by elevated PLR) might exacerbate iron deficiency.