Which of the following statements about erythropoietin is FALSE?

Ans. (B) It results in decrease in reticulocyte count(Ref: Katzung 10/e p537-538; KDT 8/e p657)Erythropoietin is a hematopoietic growth factor that is normally produced by the kidneys.Normally, there is an inverse relationship between serum erythropoietin levels and hemoglobin levels. When Hb decreases and anemia becomes more severe, serum erythropoietin level increases exponentially. But, anemia due to chronic renal failure is an exception to this inverse relationship. In CRF, erythropoietin is not produced, that results in anemia. So, exogenous erythropoietin will markedly improve anemia in CRF patients whereas there is less likelihood of response in other anemias.Erythropoietin consistently improves the hematocrit and Hb levels and usually eliminates the need of blood transfusions in CRF patients.An increase in reticulocyte count is usually observed in 10 days and increase in hematocrit and Hb levels in about 2-6 weeks.