Influence of adynamic bone disease on responsiveness to recombinant human erythropoietin in peritoneal dialysis patients.

Adynamic bone disease (ABD) has an increasing prevalence in the dialysis population, more so in peritoneal dialysis patients. Anemia in patients with high turnover bone disease and high intact parathyroid hormone (iPTH) tends to be resistant to recombinant human erythropoietin (rHuEPO). The same problem may occur in patients with ABD; however, data are scarce. This study evaluates the effectiveness of rHuEPO in 32 chronic peritoneal dialysis patients, 9 with iPTH levels below 100 pg/mL for more than 6 months (group A, with ABD) and 23 with iPTH levels above 100 pg/mL (group B, without ABD). In group A and group B respectively, the dosage of rHuEPO was 141.8 +/- 59 U/kg/week and 144.8 +/- 77 U/kg/week, and hematocrit was 33.2% +/- 4.3% and 31.7% +/- 4.5% (p > 0.05). Iron indices, nutritional parameters, and bone indices were similar, except that group A had lower alkaline phosphatase and serum ferritin levels. The data suggest that patients with ABD may not be resistant to rHuEPO, but may even have a slightly better hematocrit at a similar rHuEPO dosage. Further studies in a larger number of patients are needed to confirm these findings.