Impact of erythropoietin on anemia in end-stage renal disease patients on hemodialysis

Abstract

Background: End-stage kidney disease occurs when the estimated glomerular filtration rate is not more than 15 mL/min/1.73 m2 or when the patient requires long-term renal replacement therapy regardless of estimated glomerular filtration rate. Anemia is observed as a frequent comorbid complication of chronic kidney disease (CKD). Erythropoietin (EPO) deficiency is the crucial cause of CKD-anemia development. Objectives: The aim of study was to determine the impact of EPO on anemia in end-stage renal disease patients on hemodialysis (HD). Materials and Methods: This study was a cross-sectional study. A total of 80 patients (42 men and 38women) at end-stage renal disease planned for HD program at Al-Hakeem general hospital in Al-Najaf city/Iraq in period between November 2020 and February 2021. Many information and analyses were taken such as age, sex, cause of end stage, blood urea, serum creatinine and albumin, hemoglobin, dose of EPO, blood pressure, and body weight. Results: The results of study showed that, the level of hemoglobin (g/dL) significantly increased from (8.24 ± 1.77) to (9.57 ± 1.35) after treatment with EPO (P value < 0.05), whereas the levels of blood urea (mg/dL), albumin (g/L) significantly decreased from (218.51 ± 74.47) to (145.76 ± 42.47) and from (40.65 ± 6.35) to (36.56 ± 6.03) respectively, after treatment with EPO (P value < 0.05). additionally, there are no significant differences in serum creatinine (mg/dL) and blood pressure after treatment with EPO. Conclusion: EPO has a positive role on renal function and in treating anemia in end-stage renal disease patients on HD.