Once weekly subcutaneous administration of recombinant erythropoietin in children treated with CAPD

Treatment with rHuEpo can eliminate many symptoms that had been attributed to uremia. Repetitive punctures in children undergoing three times weekly subcutaneous (SC) rHuEpo can result in noncompliance with the therapeutic regimen. The aim of this study was to evaluate the efficacy of once weekly SC injection of rHuEpo in children with end-stage renal disease (ESRD) on CAPD. Six children (5 males, 1 female, mean-age: 6.0 years, range: 0.5 to 15.8 years) with ESRD on CAPD were treated with a regimen of rHuEpo 150 U/Kg/week SC for 12 weeks. All patients received oral iron supplementation. All children had improved appetite and well-being. The adolescents showed an increased ability to engage in regular activities. The hematocrit increased from 20.3 +/- 1.2% to 31.7 +/- 3.8% in 12 weeks. The mean weekly increase in hematocrit was 0.95 +/- 0.34%. There was no significant differences in iron indice prior to and during rHuEPO treatment. Side effects related to rHuEpo included transient pain at the site of injection in all, pruritus at the site of injection in 1 child, hyperphosphatemia in 1 infant, iron relative deficiency in 2 children and an asymptomatic increase in blood pressure in 1 hypertensive child. None of the 5 normotensive patients developed hypertension. We concluded that once weekly 150U/kg SC rHuEpo is effective in correcting anemia in children on CAPD. This regimen results in few side effects, decreases the cost of treatment and produces less distress to the patients by avoiding repetitive injections.