Plasma Erythropoietin in Polycythæmia Secondary to Renal Disease

Abstract

AN increasing body of experimental work indicates an intimate relationship between the kidney and the plasma erythropoietin-level^1–4. It has long been recognized that in man there is a frequent association between chronic renal disease and anæmia, and it has been demonstrated that the plasma erythropoietin-level is reduced in chronic renal failure⁵. More recently, the association of certain other renal pathological conditions (for example, carcinoma of the kidney and hydronephrosis) with polycythæmia has been recognized^6,7. However, studies on the plasma erythropoietin-level do not appear to have been reported in polycythæmia secondary to renal disease.