Haematology

Name

Alternative name/Profile

Department

Investigation

Specimen type

Sample type

Sample container & volume

Frequency of analysis

Turnaround time

Availability

Notes

Important sample requirements for external users:

Please centrifuge and separate the serum. As the assay will not be completed within 24 hours, freeze serum at -20°C or colder before and during shipment.
Urgent Analysis on Request.

Limitations of this assay:

Heterophilic antibodies in human serum can react with reagent immunoglobulins, interfering with in vitro immunoassays. Patients routinely exposed to animals or to animal serum products can be prone to this.

Please contact the laboratory 01 4162012 for further information regarding limitations of this assay.

Purpose of Test

Erythropoietin is a glycoprotein (about 30, 400 Daltons) that is produced primarily by the kidney and maintains red blood cell turnover. Renal production of EPO is regulated by changes in oxygen availability. Under conditions of hypoxia, the level of EPO in the circulation increases and this leads to increased production of red blood cells.

The over-expression of EPO may be associated with certain pathophysiological conditions. Polycythaemia exists when there is an over-production of red blood cells. Primary polycythaemia or polycythaemia vera, are caused by EPO-independent growth of red cell progenitors from abnormal bone marrow stem cells and in most cases decreased levels of EPO are found in the serum of affected individuals.

Conversely, various types of secondary polcythaemias are associated with the production of elevated levels of EPO. The over-production of EPO may be an adaptive response associated with conditions that produce tissue hypoxia, such as living at high altitude, chronic obstructive pulmonary disease, cyanotic heart disease, sleep apnea, high oxygen affinity haemoglobinopathy, smoking or localised renal hypoxia.

Cases of increased EPO production and erythrocytosis have been reported for patients with renal carcinoma, polycystic kidney disease, Wilm’s disease, hepatoma, liver carcinoma, cerebella hemangioblastomas, adrenal gland tumours and leimyomas.

Deficient EPO production is found in conjunction with certain forms of anaemia. These include anaemia of renal failure, end-stage renal disease, anaemia of prematurity, anaemia of hypothyroidism, and anaemia of malnutrition. Many of these conditions are associated with the generation of IL-1 and TNF-α, factors that have been shown to be inhibitors of EPO activity.

Related links

Reference range

2.6 - 18.5 mIU/mL

Last updated

Fri, 23 Jan 2026 08:29:06 GMT