erythropoietin EPO a hormone produced by the kidneys is rele

erythropoietin (EPO), a hormone produced by the kidneys, is released into the blood when blood oxygen levels are low. EPO stimulates the production of erythrocytes by red bone marrow. predict the resulting EPO level in the blood and erythrocyte count of a person who has spent considerable time living at high altitudes, where atmospheric oxygen levels are reduced.

Solution

Erythopoietin is produced by kidney fibroblasts and a very less amount by liver. it increases the production of RBC an hemoglobin and there by improves oxygen supply to the muscles. the normal range of errythropoietin is 4 to 20 mU/ml in a healthy adult and in infants it is 5-13mU/ml and in children it is 9-28mU/ml. and the erythrocyte ranges from 4.7 to 6-1 million cells/microlitre blood in male and 4.2 to 5.8 million cells/microlitre blood in women.

when the number of RBC is sufficient to maintain the equilibrium of oxygen requirement , it reduces the production of EPO. Therefore a person who lived in a higher altitude will have EPO more than the normal range and it increses the RBC count beyond the normal range. This another reason why athletes practices in higher altitudes for a better perfomance.