Serum erythropoietin in severely malnourished infants

ABSTRACT

Anemia has been well documented in protein energy malnutrition [PEM], but the role of erythropoietin [EPO] in its production remains controversial. This work was carried out on 30 severely malnourished infants and 10 age and sex matched healthy controls. Anemia was moderate among all the malnourished cases who also had low serum ferritin levels. Kwashiorkor and marasmic kwashiorkor cases had more fragile red cells than marasmus and control infants did. Although EPO production was increased and appropriate for the degree of anemia in cases of PEM, there was no concomitant significant increase in the absolute reticulocyte count. So, anemia of PEM could be attributed to abnormal erythropoiesis and increased red cell osmotic fragility but not to EPO deficiency