title: Plasma erythropoietin levels in anaemic and non-anaemic patients with chronic liver diseases.
abstract: OBJECTIVE
  To investigate the serum erythropoietin (Epo) levels in patients with chronic liver diseases and to compare to subjects with iron-deficiency anaemia and healthy controls.
  
  
  METHODS
  We examined 31 anaemic (ALC) and 22 non-anaemic (NALC) cirrhotic patients, 21 non- anaemic subjects with chronic active hepatitis (CAH), 24 patients with iron-deficiency anaemia (ID) and 15 healthy controls. Circulating Epo levels (ELISA; R and D Systems, Europe Ltd, Abingdon, UK) and haemoglobin (Hb) concentration were determined in all subjects.
  
  
  RESULTS
  Mean+/-SD of Epo values was 26.9+/-10.8 mU/mL in ALC patients, 12.5+/-8.0 mU/mL in NALC subjects, 11.6+/-6.3 mU/mL in CAH patients, 56.4+/-12.7 mU/mL in the cases of ID and 9.3+/-2.6 mU/mL in controls. No significant difference (P>0.05) was found in Epo levels between controls, CAH and NALC patients. ALC individuals had higher Epo levels (P<0.01) than these groups whereas ID subjects had even higher levels (P<0.001) than patients suffering from ALC.
  
  
  CONCLUSIONS
  Increased Epo values in cirrhotics, are only detectable when haemoglobin was lesser than 12 g/dL. Nevertheless, this rise in value is lower than that observed in anaemic patients with iron-deficiency and appears blunted and inadequate in comparison to the degree of anaemia.
authors.affiliation: Department of Internal Medicine and Sistemic Diseases, University of Catania, Italy. cmbruno@unict.it
authors.forename: Cosimo Marcello
authors.initials: CM
authors.lastname: Bruno
authors.forename: Sergio
authors.initials: S
authors.lastname: Neri
authors.forename: Claudio
authors.initials: C
authors.lastname: Sciacca
authors.forename: Gaetano
authors.initials: G
authors.lastname: Bertino
authors.forename: Pietro
authors.initials: P
authors.lastname: Di Prima
authors.forename: Danila
authors.initials: D
authors.lastname: Cilio
authors.forename: Rinaldo
authors.initials: R
authors.lastname: Pellicano
authors.forename: Luciano
authors.initials: L
authors.lastname: Caruso
authors.forename: Raffaello
authors.initials: R
authors.lastname: Cristaldi
mesh_terms: D000368:Aged; D018798:Anemia, Iron-Deficiency / Q000097:blood*; D004921:Erythropoietin / Q000097:blood*; D005260:Female; D006454:Hemoglobins / Q000378:metabolism; D006521:Hepatitis, Chronic / Q000097:blood*; D006801:Humans; D008103:Liver Cirrhosis / Q000097:blood*; D008297:Male; D008875:Middle Aged; D012044:Regression Analysis
chemical_list: D006454:Hemoglobins; D004921:Erythropoietin