All issues > Volume 38(10); 1995

Original Article

J Korean Pediatr Soc. 1995;38(10):1384-1393. Published online October 15, 1995.

Effect of Prophylactic Treatment of High Doses Recombinant Human Erythropoietin on Anemia in Premature Infants

Soon Seong SS Park¹, Seong Ho SH Hong¹, Hye Lime HL Jung¹, Dong Hyeok DH Keum¹

¹Department of Pediatrics, Kangbuk Samsung Hospital, Samsung Medical Center, Seoul, Korea

Abstract

Purpose
: This study was conducted to determine whether prophylatic treatment with recombinant human erythropoietin(rHuEPO) could prevent anemia and reduce the need for blood transfusion in premature infants.
Methods
: This study was conducted from May, 1992 to July 1994. We randomly assigned 24 premature infants with gestational age less than 34 weeks and birth weight less than 2.0kg. After having assigned 13 infants into treatment group and 11 infants into control group, rHuEPO was administered intravenously or subcutaneously three times a week to 13 treatment infants at dose of 12ooIU/kg per week for 4 weeks, starting at second day of life. We have checked hemoglobin, hematocrit, reticulocyte, setum ferritin, serum erythropoietin in both control and treatment group at the time of the birth and weekly for 4 weeks after birth.
Results
: The two groups had similar birth weights and clinical variables. During the 4 weeks of observation, the treated infants required fewer blood transfusion(0.3¡¾0.6 vs 1.0¡¾1.3 : p<0.05). Hemoglobin and hematocrit values were higher in the treated group(12.1¡¾1.3% vs 10.5¡¾1.2% ; p<0.05 and 38.2¡¾4.8% vs 31.5¡¾4.2% ; p<0.05). Reticulocyte and serum erythropoietin values were higher in the treated group(5.7¡¾3.2% vs 1.7¡¾ 0.7% ; p<0.05 and 132.47mU/ml¡¾ 96.18mU/ml¡¾96.18mU/ml vs 5.66mU/ml¡¾3.27mU/ml ; p<0.05). No prominent adverse effects of intravenously or subcutaneously administered rHuEPO were noted.
Conclusion
: Our data indicate that prophylactic administration of high dose rHuEPO is safe and effective in stimulating erythropoiesis and reducing the requirement for blood transfusions in premature infants.

Keywords :rythropoiethin, Premature infant, Transfusion