Treating renal anaemia with recombinant human erythropoietin: practical guidelines and a clinical algorithm.

Abstract

Treatment with erythropoietin is highly effective and beneficial if given with care.

Effects of <i>L</i>-Carnitine Supplementation on Renal Anemia in Poor Responders to Erythropoietin

“…Iron status in the 14 patients treated with L-carnitine was investigated by the most widely used methods [21,22]. Our patients showed serum ferritin levels 1100 Ìg/l and transferrin saturation 10.2.…”

Cost benefits of low dose subcutaneous erythropoietin in patients with anaemia of end stage renal disease.

“…Fourteen patients had successful transplant operations within 12 months of starting erythropoietin, after an average of 27 5 weeks' erythropoietin treatment (range 5-51). Eight patients died while taking erythropoietin (four of sepsis, one of malignancy, one of heart failure, one of myocardial infarction during haemodialysis, and one had a sudden death associated with hyperkalaemia).…”

Monitoring Erythropoietin Therapy for Anaemia of Chronic Renal Failure by Serum Erythropoietin Assays

“…No patients had chronic infection or malignancy, conditions which have been reported to be associated with resistance to rHuEPO. 5 Erythropoietin was assayed in serum samples taken 48 h post dose, with a competitive binding disequilibrium radioimmunoassay (Incstar Ltd, Stillwater, MN, USA) which used rHuEPO for both tracer and standards. Within assay reproducibility was 5·40/0 (n= 10, mean 18'7 lUlL) and the between assay coefficient of variation was 7' 3% (n = 10); the minimum detectable concentration was 4·4IU/L.…”