The Occurrence of Foetal Erythropoiesis After Infancy

Abstract

Erythropoiesis of fetal type persists to a minor degree in most children up to the age of 1 year, and may still be detected in some children up to the age of adolescence. Fetal erythropoiesis in several children over the age of 5 has been shown to be a familial characteristic. Fetal erythropoiesis persists in some congenital anemias, in malformations and in cases of arrested development. It appears regularly in macrocytic anemias and often in leukemia, as it does in adults. A hypothesis is presented to explain these findings.