Erythropoietin treatment in peritoneal dialysis patients

: The availability of recombinant EPO has greatly improved the lives of patients with end-stage renal disease. Knowledge is still accumulating regarding the use and effects of EPO in patients on PD, and several critical questions remain to be answered: 1. At what hematocrit level and when in the predialysis or dialysis course should EPO be started in PD patients? Recent studies by Golper suggest that the concomitant initiation of EPO and PD results in an increased hematocrit response compared to starting EPO after PD has been initiated for some time (63). 2. What is the best route of administration of EPO in PD patients? It is apparent that i.v., SC, and IP EPO can be effective in this population if utilized properly. The goal should be to tailor the route to the needs of the patient. Perhaps the daily SC route, for example, might be best for minimizing hypertension because of the slow, steady rise of hematocrit, while the IP route would be best tolerated by children (33,64). 3. What should the target hematocrit level be? This may vary depending on which organ function is being assessed. For the whole patient data are not currently available on appropriate hematocrit targets to maximize oxygen utilization, but near normal levels have recently been reported to be safe and beneficial (65-67). 4. What are the end-organ effects of anemia and its correction in PD patients? There is a dearth of information in this area for PD as well as HD patients. Additional research of this kind will increase our understanding of the pathophysiology of anemia as well as uremia.(ABSTRACT TRUNCATED AT 250 WORDS)