Iron and the anaemia of chronic disease: a review and strategic recommendations.

Background: The incidence of anaemia is high in many chronic conditions, yet it often receives little attention. SCOPE/METHODS: A panel of international experts with experience in haematology, nephrology, oncology, rheumatology and pharmacy was convened to prepare strategic guidelines. A focused literature search was conducted after key issues had been identified.

Predicting erythroid response to recombinant erythropoietin plus granulocyte colony-stimulating factor therapy following a single subcutaneous bolus in patients with myelodysplasia.

We randomized 21 patients with low-risk myelodysplastic syndromes (MDS) to receive a single subcutaneous bolus of recombinant erythropoietin (epoietin) +/- granulocyte-colony stimulating factor (G-CSF), or placebo and monitored erythropoietic response over 7 days. In this small study, the reticulocyte response at day 7 was highly predictive of subsequent response to a therapeutic trial of epoietin + G-CSF.

Anemia and diabetes in the absence of nephropathy.

Objective: Patients with diabetes commonly have a greater degree of anemia for their level of renal impairment than those presenting with other causes of renal failure. To clarify the contribution and differing roles of diabetes and nephropathy in the development of anemia in diabetic patients, we examined the hematologic and hematinic parameters of diabetic patients without nephropathy.

Research Design And Methods: The study group was comprised of 62 patients with type 2 diabetes who had been followed for a median of 7 years.

Intravenous iron as adjuvant therapy: a two-edged sword?

The importance of iron in the manufacture of erythrocytes is self-evident. In recent years, the treatment of anaemia of end-stage renal disease with recombinant human erythropoietin (epoetin) has been optimized by adequate iron supply. Intravenous therapy with dextran-free iron compounds has become the ideal and necessary companion of epoetin therapy.

Iron and erythropoietin in renal disease.

Our knowledge of erythropoiesis and iron in renal disease is limited. The accepted view of the control of erythropoiesis was founded on observations made in a variety of disorders, but the control mechanism in healthy individuals may not be quite the same. Evidence suggests that mechanisms other than erythropoietic stimulation may play a role in increased red blood cell production.