Clinical application of recombinant erythropoietin in the anemia of chronic disease.

The anemia of chronic disease is a consequence of the abnormal production of cytokines associated with chronic inflammatory, infectious, and neoplastic disorders. rhEPO can correct the impaired erythropoiesis encountered with this syndrome in vitro and in the clinical setting. Although most patients with the anemia of chronic disease will not require specific intervention to increase their hemoglobin and hematocrit, certain subsets of patients may benefit from rhEPO therapy. These include patients with anemia sufficiently severe to require transfusion, and patients for whom autologous blood donation is precluded by anemia.