This site is intended for healthcare professionals

Go to /sign-in page

You can view 5 more pages before signing in

Erythropoiesis

Last reviewed dd mmm yyyy. Last edited dd mmm yyyy

Authoring team

Erythropoiesis is the process of erythrocyte - red blood cell - production. All erythrocytes are derived from the division and differentiation of a common stem cell precursor.

The site of erythropoiesis varies with developmental stage:

  • embryo (2.5mm): blood islands of yolk sac
  • embryo (5-7mm): liver and spleen
  • fetus (20 weeks): bone marrow takes over
  • prepuberty: medullary marrow of all bones
  • postpuberty: fatty yellow marrow replaces red marrow from the peripheries of bones
  • adult: erythropoiesis only in ribs, sternum, vertebrae, shoulder girdle, proximal femur and tibia

If the adult is chronically stressed, the sites of erythropoiesis may re-extend to involve both liver and spleen.

There are a number of factors controlling erythropoiesis. Erythropoietin is the key hormone.


Related pages

Create an account to add page annotations

Add information to this page that would be handy to have on hand during a consultation, such as a web address or phone number. This information will always be displayed when you visit this page