Preoperative treatment of anemic women with epoetin beta.
OBJECTIVE
To compare the effects of preoperative treatment with recombinant human erythropoietin (EPO) and iron with iron only on hemoglobin levels (Hb) in anemic women prior to hysterectomy.


METHODS
The study was an open-labelled randomized parallel study. Fifteen women scheduled for hysterectomy due to uterine myoma were given oral iron and EPO (NeoRecormon) 4 weeks prior to surgery (group I) and 16 women were given oral iron only (group II).


RESULTS
Group I showed a significantly greater increase in mean Hb during the pre-surgery study period compared with group II (p=0.007). Two weeks postoperatively, however, there was no significant difference in mean Hb between the two groups.


CONCLUSIONS
We found that a significantly greater increase in Hb was achieved with iron in combination with EPO, although in most cases iron only seemed to be as efficacious as iron+EPO in correcting anemia in myoma patients pre-operatively.
Larson
B
B
Departments of Obstetrics and Gynaecology and Nephrology, Karolinska Hospital, Stockholm, and Roche AB, Stockholm, Sweden.
Bremme
K
K
Clyne
N
N
Nordström
L
L
D000284:Administration, Oral; D000328:Adult; D000368:Aged; D000704:Analysis of Variance; D000740:Anemia / Q000150:complications / Q000188:drug therapy*; D016009:Chi-Square Distribution; D004359:Drug Therapy, Combination; D004921:Erythropoietin / Q000008:administration & dosage*; D005260:Female; D005500:Follow-Up Studies; D006454:Hemoglobins / Q000032:analysis / Q000187:drug effects*; D006801:Humans; D007044:Hysterectomy; D058085:Iron Compounds / Q000008:administration & dosage*; D007889:Leiomyoma / Q000150:complications / Q000601:surgery*; D007902:Length of Stay; D008875:Middle Aged; D011184:Postoperative Period; D011300:Preoperative Care; D011336:Probability; D011446:Prospective Studies; D011994:Recombinant Proteins; D018709:Statistics, Nonparametric; D016896:Treatment Outcome; D014594:Uterine Neoplasms / Q000150:complications / Q000601:surgery*
D006454:Hemoglobins; D058085:Iron Compounds; D011994:Recombinant Proteins; C103998:epoetin beta; D004921:Erythropoietin