The Effect of Early Subcutaneous Administration of Erythropoietin on Hematopoiesis and Weight Gain Velocity in Preterm Infants

Abstract Introduction Anemia in preterm infants is identified as hemoglobin lower than 7-10g/dl around 1-3 months after birth. The aim of this study was to evaluate the effect of early subcutaneous administration of erythropoietin on hematopoiesis and weight gain velocity in preterm infants. Materials and Methods The present study was clinical trial carried out on 42 preterm infants. Those whose weight was lower than 1800 g at birth and gestational age of less than 34 weeks were included in the study. The subjects were randomly assigned into two groups. Intervention (IG) and control (CG). The IG received 500 IU/kg of subcutaneous erythropoietin twice a week while there was no intervention with the control group. Both groups received iron supplement, vitamin A, D, E and folate daily. Measuring ferritin as well as reticulocyte, hematocrit, and hemoglobin were accomplished in each group before and after the treatment. SPSS11 software was used to analyze the data. Results Totally there were 19 boys (51.4%) and 18 girls (48.6%) in this study. there was an increase in the number of reticulocytes in IG after the intervention (P=0.004). Weight gain was also higher in this group (P=0.005). The mean systolic blood pressure, however, was not significant in both groups after the intervention (P=0.36). Two infants needed transfusion of packed RBCs in the CG while for IG this was not happened. Conclusion Early use of human recombinant erythropoietin results in erythropoiesis as well as weight gain in preterm infants.