SERUM ERYTHROPOIETIN LEVELS IN THALASSEMIA-INTERMEDIA

Serum concentrations of erythropoietin (EPO) were determined by immuno assay in 45 patients with thalassemia intermedia (TI). The mean serum level of EPO was significantly higher in the thalassemic patients than in the controls, but transfused subjects had lower pretransfusional s erum concentrations of EPO than untransfused ones. An inverse relation ship between the serum values of EPO and total hemoglobin was observed only in the untransfused thalassemic patients. These data suggest tha t in TI, even a low transfusional regimen may cause a decrease in seru m concentration of EPO, independent of the level of total Hb.