ABSTRACT
Erythropoietin is a glycoprotein which acts essentially as a specific growth factor by stimulating proliferation and final maturation of the red blood cells in bone marrow. It is secreted mainly in the kidneys, and its production is regulated by the relative amount of oxygen available to organs involved in its synthesis; its secretion is increased by hypoxia and decreased by hyperoxia. This chapter presents the methodological evaluation and correlation of two radioisotopic techniques for erythropoietin determination in pediatric samples, together with their application in the diagnosis or indications for biosynthetic hormone therapy. Erythropoietin determination is a valuable factor in hematological patients, not only for establishing the physiopathology of erythrocytic disorders, but also for orienting therapeutic indications and verifying the evolutive status of the anemic processes.
