[Does long-term erythropoietin therapy influence the prevalence of serum markers of hepatitis B and C in haemodialysed uraemic patients?].

Unlabelled: Haemodialysed patients are highly exposed to different virus infections namely hepatitis B (HBV) and C (HCV). Recently it was shown, that the use of recombinant human erythropoietin (rHuEPO) in haemodialysed patients with chronic renal failure (CRF) stimulates not only erythropoesis but also increases--in an indirect or direct manner--the humoral and cell--mediated immune defense. The aim of the present study was to determine the prevalence of HBV and HCV infection in haemodialysed patients with CRF and renal anaemia treated either with rHuEPO or with allogenic blood transfusions only.