title: Anaemia in children following cardiac transplantation: treatment with low dose human recombinant erythropoietin.
abstract: Anaemia is common in children following cardiac transplantation. In a series of 5 children with anaemia beyond the immediate post-operative period one had a hypochromic, microcytic anaemia which corrected with oral iron. The other four had normochromic, normocytic anaemias unresponsive to iron or folate supplementation and associated with inappropriately low levels of erythropoietin. Subcutaneous administration of low dose human recombinant erythropoietin to these four patients resulted in correction of their anaemia. Our findings suggest that erythropoietin deficiency is an important cause of anaemia in transplant recipients and should be sought in cases of anaemia refractory to conventional haematinic therapy. In cases of proven erythropoietin deficiency, treatment with erythropoietin is effective, acceptable to patients and preferable to repeated blood transfusion.
authors.affiliation: Department of Paediatric Cardiology, Killingbeck Hospital, Leeds, UK.
authors.forename: M E
authors.initials: ME
authors.lastname: Blackburn
authors.forename: R G
authors.initials: RG
authors.lastname: Kendall
authors.forename: J L
authors.initials: JL
authors.lastname: Gibbs
authors.forename: D F
authors.initials: DF
authors.lastname: Dickinson
authors.forename: J M
authors.initials: JM
authors.lastname: Parsons
authors.forename: D R
authors.initials: DR
authors.lastname: Norfolk
mesh_terms: D000293:Adolescent; D000740:Anemia / Q000097:blood / Q000188:drug therapy* / Q000453:epidemiology; D001806:Blood Urea Nitrogen; D002648:Child; D002675:Child, Preschool; D003404:Creatinine / Q000097:blood; D003524:Cyclosporins / Q000097:blood; D004921:Erythropoietin / Q000008:administration & dosage / Q000097:blood / Q000627:therapeutic use*; D016027:Heart Transplantation / Q000009:adverse effects*; D006454:Hemoglobins / Q000032:analysis; D006801:Humans; D007223:Infant; D011183:Postoperative Complications / Q000097:blood / Q000188:drug therapy* / Q000453:epidemiology
chemical_list: D003524:Cyclosporins; D006454:Hemoglobins; D004921:Erythropoietin; D003404:Creatinine