Blood Levels of Erythropoietin in Congestive Heart Failure and Relationship to Clinical,Hemodynamic and Hormonal Profiles

This study was performed in patients with congestive heart failure (CHF) to investigate the relationship between serum erythropoietin (EPO) levels and other neurohormonal changes, elinical and hemodynamic parameters, severity of the disease and also the effect of treatment on EPO levels. It was carried out in 20 healthy subjects and 76 patients with congestive heart failure admitted to Cardiology Department of Medical Faculty of Atatürk University between July 1995 and February 1996. Patients with CHF were elassified according to New York Heart Association (NYHA) elassification as group I (n= 15), group II (n=2 ı), group III (n=20) and group IV (n=20). Serum EPO, aldosterone and plasma atrial natriuretic factor (ANF) levels, plasma renin activity (PRA) were measured in all groups. Serum erythropoietin levels were found to be higher in patients with CHF than in controls and increased progressively from group I to IV. Serum EPO levels were significantly higher in both group III and IV patients than in the control group. (pKeywords: Erythropoietin, congestive heart failure