Hemostasis Today

Jared Rice: Anemia of Prematurity is Not Simply an EPO Deficiency
Jun 30, 2026, 06:01

Jared Rice: Anemia of Prematurity is Not Simply an EPO Deficiency

Jared Rice, Nurse Professional Development Specialist at Cleveland Clinic, shared a post on LinkedIn:

“Anemia of prematurity is not EPO deficiency.

It is EPO suppression, and that distinction has direct implications for how you interpret lab values, when you initiate ESA therapy, and why iron is foundational rather than adjunctive.

The HIF-EPO regulatory loop works exactly as designed in the preterm infant

. The problem is that it is running in a postnatal oxygen environment it was never calibrated for, through a producing organ that has not completed its developmental transition, while phlebotomy accelerates the hemoglobin decline faster than the system can compensate.

If you have ever wanted to know what newborns experience anemia and how ESA therapy helps, look at this video.”

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