Treatment of the anemia of chronic renal failure with recombinant human erythropoietin.

The anemia of chronic renal failure can now be effectively treated with recombinant human erythropoietin when given in adequate doses. This hormone replacement therapy is associated with significant clinical benefits but it requires adequate iron stores for maximal effectiveness, it may result in elevation in diastolic blood pressure, and the response may be blunted by the presence of infection or inflammation.