[Erythropoietin treatment of infants with anaemia in the first three months of life].

Unlabelled: Synthesis of recombinant human erythropoietin opened new possibilities for treatment of anaemia in infants.

Aim: To assess the safety and effects of this treatment of anaemia in infants.

Material And Methods: The study included 111 infants with anaemia aged between 3 and 10 weeks. Children were referred to the One Day Clinic of the Department of Paediatrics, Haematology and Oncology, Warsaw Medical University, by family doctors because of low haemoglobin concentration, in spite of iron supplementation. Patients were divided into two groups: group A - term infants and B - preterm infants. Both these groups were divided according to risk factors: serological incompatibility and infection at birth or just after birth. Recombinant human erythropoietin was given subcutaneously in doses of 500 IU/kg b. w./week. Therapy was ended when haemoglobin concentration reached 11 g/dl.

Results: Initial haemoglobin concentration in serum is the main factor which influence the length of recombinant human erythropoietin therapy of anaemia both in preterm and term infants. Serological incompatibility and infection at birth and just after birth lengthen the period of erythropoietin treatment of anaemia in both groups of patients.

Conclusions: Recombinant human erythropoietin is an effective and fully safe drug in the treatment of anaemia in the first three months of life, both in preterm and term infants. Its high effectiveness is confirmed by comparative analysis of haematologic parameters in the first trimester of retrospective control group of infants without recombinant human erythropoietin therapy and term infants who had been treated with erythropoietin.