Studies of the pathogenesis of anemia of inflammation: mechanism of impaired erythropoiesis.

Cats with induced sterile abscesses developed a hematologic disorder consistent with anemia of inflammation. Serum iron concentrations decreased while the abscess was present, but erythropoietin concentrations did not change significantly. Cobalt administration to control (healthy) cats resulted in polycythemia, reticulocytosis, and hyperferremia. Cats with abscesses responded to cobalt similarly; however, magnitudes of the polycythemia and reticulocytosis were less. Constant infusion of ferric citrate (IV) into cats with sterile abscesses maintained serum iron concentration in the normal to high range. The iron infusion did not prevent the anemia, but did enable the bone marrow to respond to the anemia.