[New applications of erythropoietin in cardiovascular disease: from haematopoiesis to cardiac protection]

Anaemia is common in patients with heart failure and is associated with poorer prognosis. The aetiology of anaemia in heart failure is diverse and includes renal failure, iron and vitamin deficiency, the use of medication, and insensitivity of the bone marrow to erythropoietin. Recently, small-scale clinical trials investigating the effect of erythropoietin on anaemia showed an improvement in the surrogate cardiovascular endpoints exercise tolerance, haemodynamics and number of hospitalisations. Erythropoietin also has non-haematopoietic (pleiotropic) effects, such as inhibition of apoptosis and neovascularisation. In preclinical studies, erythropoietin had a beneficial effect on heart function following acute myocardial infarction and in heart failure. Currently, these pleiotropic effects are being studied in patients with acute myocardial infarction.