[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 ofhospitalisations. - Erythropoietin also has non-haematopoietic (pleiotropic) effects, such as inhibition ofapoptosis 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.