Single weekly dose of recombinant erythropoietin in children with chronic renal insufficiency
Guízar, J.M.; Gutiérrez, M.J.; Sánchez, G.; Kornhauser, C.
Revista de Investigacion Clinica; Organo del Hospital de Enfermedades de la Nutricion 48(3): 173-177
1996
ISSN/ISBN: 0034-8376 PMID: 8966377 Document Number: 468585
To study the results of a single dose weekly treatment with subcutaneous recombinant human erythropoietin in the anemia of children with end stage renal failure patients. We studied 19 patients 6 to 17 years old with end-stage renal failure under ambulatory peritoneal dialysis at the Centro Médico Nacional of the city of León, State of Guanajuato. All had required an average of 2.8 red blood cell transfusions during the previous 18.2 months. The criteria for inclusion were: severe normocytic normochromic anemia (Hct < 20%) without infectious or systemic illness, blood pressure under the 97th percentile for their age, normal hepatic function, and absence of convulsive crisis. The erythropoietin was subcutaneously administered once a week at a dose of 130 +/- 15 U/kg of body weight (SD). All patients received minimal daily iron and folic acid requirements. The initial average values for hemoglobin and hematocrit were 6.6 +/- 0.9 g/dL and 20.6 +/- 3.3% respectively. They increased to 9.4 +/- 0.9 g/dL and 28.8 +/- 2.5% after 12 weeks of treatment (p < 0.05). The patients did not receive blood transfusions during the study period and their blood pressure remained unchanged. The subcutaneous administration of erythropoietin in our study increased the hemoglobin and hematocrit values in our patients with a substantial reduction in secondary effects and in cost of treatment.