oa Central African Journal of Medicine - The erythron in health and disease - a kinetic approach to Erythrocytosis and Anaemia

Abstract

In conclusion, the concept of the erythron is discussed as a logical way to approach the physiology of erythropoiesis and as a basis for understanding the pathophysiological disturbances whIch characterise the red cell abnormalities. Using this approach, both increase in red cell mass, or erythrocytosis, and decrease in red cell mass, or anaemia, are seen simply as manifestations of a disturbance in the normal regulatory mechanisms of the erythron.