Sixteen anaemic CAPD patients (Hb less than 9 g/dl) were treated with thrice-weekly subcutaneous recombinant erythropoietin, epoetin-alfa. The dose was adjusted to induce a stepwise increase in haemoglobin. Fourteen patients reached a first target haemoglobin of 11.0-11.5 g/dl and eight of these a second of 13.0-13.5 g/dl, but one could not be maintained at this level. Failure to reach or maintain the second target in nine subjects was accounted for by incomplete responses associated with infection in one, extreme shortening of red-cell survival in another, and was unexplained in one subject. These three received the maximum dose studied of 450 IU/kg per week. Six other subjects were withdrawn from the study for reasons unrelated to treatment with erythropoietin. The median dose required to maintain the haemoglobin at 11.0-11.5 g/dl was 75 IU/kg per week and at 13.0-13.5 g/dl was 150 IU/kg per week. Quality of life, assessed in 12 patients at haemoglobin 11.0-11.5 g/dl, showed significant improvement in energy, and at 13.0-13.5 g/dl improvements in sleep and emotional wellbeing became significant. Twelve subjects required either institution of, or an increase in, treatment for hypertension. The thrice-weekly subcutaneous doses of erythropoietin were well tolerated and were a convenient and effective treatment for anaemia in patients on CAPD.

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