Treatment of anaemia in haemodialysis patients with recombinant erythropoietin.

Recombinant human erythropoietin (r-HuEPO) has been used for the treatment of renal anaemia in haemodialysed patients for more than 2 years. The recommended initial dose is 50 U/kg, intravenously, three times a week, subsequent to the dialysis procedure; if the increase in the haemoglobin level were insufficient after the 4-week therapy, the single doses should be elevated in steps of 25 U/kg each. A weekly total dose of about 200 U/kg (divided into 2 or 3 applications) will normally be adequate to stabilize the haemoglobin value at a level ranging between 10 and 12 g/dl. Patients on r-HuEPO require regular medical supervision, as--along with increasing haematocrit--hypertension and thrombosis of the arteriovenous fistula can develop. A slight increase in serum creatinine and potassium was observed in some of the studies.