title: Fetal hemoglobin in patients with chronic renal disease.
abstract: To investigate-whether hemoglobin (Hb) synthesis is affected by different treatment protocols used for end-stage renal disease, we analyzed the electrophoretic pattern of hemoglobin in 136 adult patients with chronic renal failure. Forty-seven patients were not in a dialysis program (ND), 29 individuals were on continuous ambulatory peritoneal dialysis (CAPD), 33 patients were on hemodialysis (HD), and 27 subjects had received a kidney transplant (KT). We found 3.6% hemoglobin C, 1.4% hemoglobin S and 3.6% B-thalassemia minor as reported in other studies of Brazilian patients. In addition, we found increased fetal hemoglobin (Hb F) levels in 7.4% of the patients which contrasts with the reported 0.01% prevalence rate of hereditary persistence of Hb F in Brazil. Seven out of ten patients with elevated Hb F belonged to either the CAPD or the KT group. We postulate that stress erythropoiesis is probably the mechanism responsible for the Hb F increase in these patients. However, properly designed clinical studies are still necessary to clarify these questions.
authors.affiliation: Disciplina de Hematologia e Hemoterapia, Escola Paulista de Medicina, Universidade Federal de São Paulo, Brasil. stella.dmed@epm.br
authors.forename: M S
authors.initials: MS
authors.lastname: Figueiredo
authors.forename: E Y
authors.initials: EY
authors.lastname: Kimura
authors.forename: J O
authors.initials: JO
authors.lastname: Bordin
authors.forename: J
authors.initials: J
authors.lastname: Kerbauy
mesh_terms: D000328:Adult; D005319:Fetal Hemoglobin / Q000032:analysis* / Q000096:biosynthesis; D006801:Humans; D007676:Kidney Failure, Chronic / Q000097:blood* / Q000378:metabolism / Q000628:therapy
chemical_list: D005319:Fetal Hemoglobin