open access: Biomarkers for the differentiation of anemia and their clinical useful

open access

Conclusion
Anemia is of multifactorial etiology, but it is to be hoped that by using the biomarkers described in this review, investigators will obtain a fuller understanding of the potential causes of anemia. Automated cell counters provide much useful information to point to potential causes of anemia, but no one method will ever be sufficient to describe the full etiology of anemia. Specific tests may confirm the underlying causes but anemia is the result of a complex interaction of events, which may be difficult to unravel. This review lists the biomarkers that can be used to determine the most likely causes of anemia, but the authors emphasize that anemia is the final stage in a deterioration in red cell synthesis to a point when anemia is defined. At that stage the factors associated with anemia may not fully reflect the circumstances that were responsible for the initial or the progress of deterioration in red cell synthesis.