Author/Editor		Kornhauser-Cerar, Lilijana
Title		Liječenje anemije zbog nedonošenosti rekombinantnim humanim eritropoetinom
Type		monografija
Place		Zagreb
Publisher		Sveučilište u Zagrebu, Medicinski fakultet
Publication year		2000
Volume		str. 155
Language		cro
Abstract		The anemia of prematurity (AOP) is invariably observed in very low birth weight (VLBW) infants and may become symptomatic enough to require treatment with packed red cell transfusions, that subject patients to numerous potential adverse effects. Experimental and clinical data implicate inadequate erythropoietin production as an important reason that these infants acquire anemia. The recent availability of recombinant human erythropoietin (rHuEPO) has raised the possibility of stimulating erythropoiesis and thereby reduce the need for transfusions especially in the group of VLBW infants. The aim of this prospective randomized controlled trial was to assess the benefits and risks of erythropoietin omega, which has until now not been used in the treatment of AOP, versus erythrocyte transfusion. We hypothesized that using a low dose of erythropoietin omega in VLBW infants would stimulate erythropoiesis, and thus reduce postnatal hemoglobin decline and the transfusion requirements. Moreover, the cost of this treatment was compared with that of conventional therapy, consisting of erythrocyte transfusions alone. Forty-six preterm infants born at less than 31 weeks of gestation who weighed 1500 g or less at birth were randomly assigned to two groups: rHuEPO omega was given to infants in group A (N = 23), while group B (N = 23) served as control group and the infants did not receive this drug. Infants in group A were receiving subcutaneously 300 IU/kg/week of erythropoietin omega (Epomax TM) for four weeks. The treatment was started at 2 -7 weeks of postnatal age (mean 26,3 days). All patients received supplemental oral iron (3 mg/kg/day) and vitamin E therapy (5 mg/day) and were managed according to uniform transfusion guidelines. (Abstract truncated at 2000 characters).
Descriptors		ANEMIA INFANT, PREMATURE INFANT, VERY LOW BIRTH WEIGHT ERYTHROPOIETIN, RECOMBINANT INFANT PROSPECTIVE STUDIES RANDOMIZED CONTROLLED TRIALS ERYTHROCYTE TRANSFUSION IRON VITAMIN E GESTATIONAL AGE APGAR SCORE RETICULOCYTE COUNT HEMOGLOBINS FERRITIN HEMATOLOGIC TESTS ERYTHROPOIETIN