About relationship between chronic obstructive pulmonary disease and anemia

Until recently, compensatory erythrocytosis related to impaired renal blood circulation, treatment with some pharmacological agent, smoking, etc., was considered as one of the obligatory signs of advanced chronic obstructive pulmonary disease (COPD). Currently, normochromic normocytic anemia in COPD patients was diagnosed according to results of several studies. Prevalence data on anemia in COPD differ significantly from 7.5% to 33%. It is unclear, if anemia is a systemic feature of COPD or comorbidity. This article is a review about relationship between COPD and anemia. Most authors consider anemia in COPD as a condition associated with chronic disease, but mechanisms of its development are not fully investigated. There are few studies of effective treatment of anemia in COPD and their results are controversial. New experimental and clinical studies on mechanisms of anemia in COPD are required to improve management of such patients, their quality of life and outcomes.