Functional Links Between Glucocorticoids and Cytokines In DBA

Diamond Blackfan anaemia (DBA) is a red blood cell aplasia characterized by erythropoietic defects as well as congenital anomalies. Forty percent of patients with DBA are treated with glucocorticoid steroids, which remain the mainstay of treatment in DBA. Many advances in the understanding of the physiological role of the glucocorticoid receptor have been made since the first introduction of glucocorticoids to the clinic, but their mechanism of action in the treatment of DBA is still under investigation. This review is intended to summarize the mechanism of glucocorticoid action specifically as related to erythropoiesis, focusing on the functional links between glucocorticoids and cytokines.