Human erythropoietin in children undergoing continuous ambulatory peritoneal dialysis

The effect of intravenous recombinant human erythropoietin (rHuEPO) by two different dosage regimes was evaluated in 12 anemic children on continuous ambulatory peritoneal dialysis (CAPD). Eight patients (group A) were treated once a week at a mean dose of 89 U/kg for 24 weeks. The other four patients (group B) were treated three times a week at a mean dose of 260 U/kg for 8 weeks, and then once a week at a mean dose of 88 U/kg for the next 16 weeks. In group A, the hematocrit (Ht) increased gradually and significantly from 19.9 +/- 2.1% to 28.7 +/- 1.5% at the 24th week, while in group B, it rapidly increased from 17.9 +/- 2.5% to 30.2 +/- 4.3% at the 8th week, and thereafter was maintained at a level of approximately 30%. However, there was no significant difference in the Ht between the two groups. In two of the four patients in group B, blood pressure increased from 136/87 mmHg to 168/102 mmHg and from 106/70 mmHg to 132/92 mmHg, at the 4th and the 8th weeks respectively, related to a rapid rise of the Ht. Neither antibody to rHuEPO nor other sides effect were evident. Gradual improvement of anemia by once-a-week intravenous administration of rHuEPO is advantageous for the quality of life in children on CAPD.