The effects of r-HuEPO on platelet function and coagulation factors in hemodialysis patients

Abstract

To evaluate the effects of correction of anemia with recombinant human erythropoietin (r-HuEPO) on the hemostatic defects in uremia, hemostatic parameters were examined in 18 patients with renal anemia receiving hemodialysis (HD). During the study, hematocrit (Ht) increased from 22.9 +/- 3.1% (mean +/- SD) at pre-treatment (stage-I) to 31.0 +/- 3.0% 12 weeks after 3000 IU intravenous r-HuEPO administration at the end of every HD (stage-II), and decreased to 26.2 +/- 4.2% 6 weeks after r-HuEPO discontinuation (stage III). Platelet count did not change among these three stages, however, mean platelet volume significantly increased at stage II compared to stage I. Ivy bleeding time (Ivy-BT) significantly shortened at stage II (I; 14.3 +/- 6.0, II; 10.1 +/- 6.5 min, p less than 0.01), and prolonged again at stage III (p less than 0.05 vs stage II). Among the patients, 6 out of 18 patients did not show any reduction in Ivy-BT (unchanged group). Though there were no significant changes in platelet aggregation rates, plasma TxB2, 6-keto-PGF1 alpha, F. VIII: C, and F. VIII: Ag levels throughout the study, platelet adhesion rate was significantly improved at stage II (I; 11.8 +/- 6.8, II; 19.6 +/- 12.8%, p less than 0.05), and similar augmentation in vWf: Ag was observed. Improvement in these two parameters were more remarkable in shortened Ivy-BT group (n = 12) than in unchanged group.(ABSTRACT TRUNCATED AT 250 WORDS)