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Beyond Anemia: The Clinical Impact of the Physiologic Effects of Erythropoietin
Author(s) -
Diskin Charles J.,
Stokes Thomas J.,
Dansby Linda M.,
Radcliff Lautrec,
Carter Thomas B.
Publication year - 2008
Publication title -
seminars in dialysis
Language(s) - English
Resource type - Journals
SCImago Journal Rank - 0.899
H-Index - 78
eISSN - 1525-139X
pISSN - 0894-0959
DOI - 10.1111/j.1525-139x.2008.00443.x
Subject(s) - erythropoietin , medicine , anemia , physiology , intensive care medicine , endocrinology
Although we have known that oxygen tension affects erythrocyte production since the 19th century, we have only recently begun to understand many subtleties of erythropoietin (EPO) physiology. EPO administration has allowed hundreds of thousands of patients to avoid transfusions. With the beneficial effects so apparent a detailed understanding of the full clinical physiology of this plasma factor seemed less important. However, the unanticipated increase in mortality found in recent randomized studies is prompting a reassessment of this view. We will review what is known about the physiology of this plasma factor that, it is now clear, is more than just an erythrocyte production factor.