EPO and infection: Nevertheless, it is important that in addition to the physiological role of hepcidin, several other factors that lead to anemia during infection have been described, such as iatrogenic blood loss, inhibition of erythropoietin production [18], blunted erythropoietic response [18,19], and a decreased lifespan of erythrocytes, mediated by increased adherence to the vascular wall and phagocytosis by macrophages [20].