In competitive sport, it is illegal to manipulate erythropoiesis. Manipulated erythropoiesis
can indirectly be identified by atypical fluctuations in key haematological variables.
However, this method also has limitations and as it is known that some athletes still
manipulate erythropoiesis it is necessary to develop new and more sensitive detection
methods.
The primary purpose of the study is to examine the importance of altered erythropoiesis for
surface and intracellular erythrocyte proteins, the number of immature reticulocytes, and for
the haematological characteristics of the erythrocyte, such as volume, haemoglobin
concentration and concentration of glycosylated haemoglobin, to assess whether these can be
used to identify changed erythropoiesis. Furthermore, the aim is to examine whether these
parameters are affected by freezer storage of erythrocytes.