IMPROVING ERYTHROPOIESIS BY HEMODIALYSIS: RELATIONSHIP WITH A DEQUACY, FREQUENCY A ND DURATION OF DIALYSIS

Serum erythropoietin (EPO) concentration was measured by an enzyme-linked immunosorbent assay (ELISA) in 31 cases of chronic renal failure (CRF), including 20 hemodialysis (HD) patients, and compared with that of 31 healthy normal controls. Each patient served as a self-control comparing his or her pretreatment level with post-treatment values. There was a significant negative correlation between serum EPO and serum iron ( SI) concentration in HD patients (p<0.05) the correlation was more prominent after three months of hemodialysis (p<0.00l). The mean hemoglobin (Hb) concentration was significantly higher in patients who underwent HD more than once per week as compared with those who received HD once a week (p<0.00 1). In addition, patients on three months of HD had a higher Hb level as compared to those who had received HD for one month (p<0.001). Moreover, there was also a significant negative correlation between serum EPO concentration and dialysis adequacy (p<0.05), indicating that the erythropoietin-hematocrit feedback inhibition mechanism had improved due to general improvement of the patients' metabolism and possible removal of dialyzable toxins.