with chronic heart failure frequently suffer from a certain degree of anaemia. The prevalence of anaemia among these patients varies from about 3 % to 60 % according to the „border" value of hemoglobin. The reasons for the development of anaemia in chronic heart failure are complex, but the main reason is the increased activity of pro-inflammatory cytokines, which causes a depressed production of erythropoietin. The sequence of events results in a condition described as cardio-renal-anaemia syndrome. The treatment of anaemia in chronic heart failure is still in its early stages and more clinical studies are required. The basic mechanism of development of anaemia and recently published studies are described in this article.

        Key words: chronic heart failure, anaemia, cardio-renal syndrome