J. Nafziger et al., DECREASED ERYTHROPOIETIN RESPONSIVENESS TO IRON-DEFICIENCY ANEMIA IN THE ELDERLY, American journal of hematology, 43(3), 1993, pp. 172-176
The prevalence of anemia in the elderly raises the question of an inap
propriate secretion of erythropoietin in response to increased demands
. Therefore, the serum erythropoietin concentration of elderly patient
s (74-95 years) with iron deficiency anemia was measured and compared
to that of iron deficiency anemic adults (25-60 years). A lowered eryt
hropoietin secretion in response to anemia was observed in elderly pat
ients in comparison with adults. However, the serum erythropoietin of
the anemic elderly was inversely correlated with hemoglobin levels as
shown for the anemic adults. The progressive reduction of the renal fu
nction observed with aging could explain the decreased capacity of ery
thropoietin secretion in elderly patients.