The anemia of inflammatory disease in the dog. I. The nature of the problem.

The anemia of inflammatory disease(AID) in the dog is an almost invariable complication of infection, inflammation and disseminated or necrotizing neoplastic disease. Clinically innocuous, it is important only in the greater understanding of the mechanisms controlling circulating erythrocyte quantity and quality. The etiology and pathogenesis include a shortened red cell life-span, disordered iron metabolism, depressed bone marrow response to the anemia and a disordered iron storage. The laboratory features of a moderate anemia, normal bone marrow cellular pattern, depression iron metabolism and reticuloendothelial iron sequestration make a final diagnosis of AID dependent on ruling out other etiologic mechanisms which may obscure or aggravate the anemia of the inflammatory disease in the dog.