Anemia in astronauts has been noted since the first space missions, but the mechanisms contributing to anemia in space flight have remained unclear. Here, we show that space flight is associated with persistently increased levels of products of hemoglobin degradation, carbon monoxide in alveolar air and iron in serum, in 14 astronauts throughout their 6-month missions onboard the International Space Station. One year after landing, erythrocytic effects persisted, including increased levels of hemolysis, reticulocytosis and hemoglobin. These findings suggest that the destruction of red blood cells, termed hemolysis, is a primary effect of microgravity in space flight and support the hypothesis that the anemia associated with space flight is a hemolytic condition that should be considered in the screening and monitoring of both astronauts and space tourists.

自第一次太空任务以来，宇航员的贫血已经被注意到，但导致太空飞行中贫血的机制仍不清楚。在这里，我们展示了 14 名宇航员在国际空间站上为期 6 个月的任务期间，太空飞行与血红蛋白降解产物、肺泡空气中的一氧化碳和血清中的铁水平持续升高有关。着陆一年后，红细胞效应持续存在，包括溶血、网状红细胞增多症和血红蛋白水平升高。这些发现表明红细胞的破坏，称为溶血，