Anaemia and its Response to Treatment with Recombinant Human Erythropoietin in Chronic Kidney Disease Patients

BACKGROUND: The introduction of erythropoietin has transformed the management of anaemia in CKD, with considerable benefits which includes enhanced quality of life, increased exercise capacity and improved cardiac function. There is paucity of data on the beneficial effects of this treatment from this environment. OBJECTIVE: The aim of this work was to study the pattern and response of anaemia and its response to treatment with recombinant human erythropoietin(r-HuEpo) in CKD patients in Nigeria. METHODS: This was a prospective study in which 20 CKD patients who satisfied the inclusion criteria were recruited consecutively. Subcutaneous r-HuEpo was administered to each of the study patients, starting with a weekly dose of 50 iu/Kg and titrated according to haemoglobin (Hb) response, which was monitored fortnightly throughout the study period with the aim of achieving a target Hb of 11g/dl. RESULTS: The patients studied were anaemic with mean Hb of 7.36 ± 1.05 g/dl. The anemia was normocytic normochromic in 85% of the patients. All the patients responded to treatment with r-HuEpo with the mean Hb rising from 6.74g/dl ± 0.70 to 11.64g/dl ± 0.37 and 7.64 g/dl ± 1.19 to 11.98 g/dl ± 0.45 g/dl in those on maintenance haemodialysis and pre-dialysis patients respectively. The patients reached the target Hb of 11g/dl within 8 weeks in predialytic CKD patients and within 10 weeks in those on maintenance haemodialysis. CONCLUSION: Anaemia is mostly normocytic normochromic in CKD patients in our environment and r-HuEpo therapy is effective in correcting the anaemia.