[Blood erythropoietin levels in healthy subjects studied in the valley of Mexico].

Erythropoietin (EPO) is the hematopoietic growth factor that regulates red cell production. There is a direct relationship between its secretion and tissue hypoxia. Above sea level, oxygen concentration diminishes. This causes an increase of hemoglobin and hematocrit; this effect could be the consequence of higher EPO levels. Currently, evaluation of baseline serum EPO levels is very important in the differential diagnosis of anemia and erythrocytosis. The purpose of the present work was to report the EPO levels on a group of healthy blood donors living in Mexico City, 2,240 m above sea level. Two-hundred twenty blood donors were selected to measure serum EPO; there were 168 males and 52 females. Median EPO levels of the entire population were 7.5 mU/mL (percentile interval, PI, 1-18). Median EPO levels were 7.6 (PI 1-18) and 7.5 (PI 1-16.9) for men and women, respectively. We did not find differences in serum EPO levels among previous reports in other populations and the values determined in this study.