title: Darbepoetin alfa treatment for post-renal transplantation anemia during pregnancy.
abstract: Anemia is common in patients with chronic kidney disease (CKD) and those who have received a kidney allograft. Anemia is most prevalent in kidney transplant recipients before and immediately after transplantation, but also can occur months after transplantation if the donor kidney begins to fail. Replacement therapy for CKD-related and posttransplantation anemia is effective through the administration of exogenous erythropoiesis-stimulating proteins. Darbepoetin alfa (Aranesp; Amgen Inc, Thousand Oaks, CA) is a unique erythropoiesis-stimulating protein that can be administered at an extended dosing interval relative to recombinant human erythropoietin because of its approximately 3-fold longer serum half-life. Although darbepoetin alfa has been shown to be an effective treatment for patients with anemia of CKD and anemia after kidney transplantation, limited data have been published showing efficacy in treating women with anemia of these conditions during pregnancy. We report a case of successful darbepoetin alfa treatment for severe anemia in a pregnant transplant recipient.
authors.affiliation: Nephrology Associates of Central Florida, Orlando, FL, USA. gosh2fly@aol.com
authors.forename: Janet
authors.initials: J
authors.lastname: Goshorn
authors.forename: Timothy D
authors.initials: TD
authors.lastname: Youell
mesh_terms: D000328:Adult; D000740:Anemia / Q000188:drug therapy* / Q000209:etiology; D002585:Cesarean Section; D000075202:Contraindications; D016572:Cyclosporine / Q000627:therapeutic use; D000068256:Darbepoetin alfa; D004921:Erythropoietin / Q000031:analogs & derivatives* / Q000627:therapeutic use; D005260:Female; D005296:Ferrous Compounds / Q000627:therapeutic use; D006801:Humans; D006869:Hydronephrosis / Q000150:complications / Q000628:therapy; D007166:Immunosuppressive Agents / Q000627:therapeutic use; D016030:Kidney Transplantation; D009403:Nephrostomy, Percutaneous; D011183:Postoperative Complications / Q000188:drug therapy* / Q000628:therapy; D011225:Pre-Eclampsia / Q000209:etiology; D011247:Pregnancy; D011250:Pregnancy Complications, Hematologic / Q000188:drug therapy*; D018566:Pregnancy, High-Risk; D011644:Puerperal Disorders / Q000188:drug therapy; D012640:Seizures / Q000209:etiology; D020123:Sirolimus / Q000627:therapeutic use; D015607:Stents; D016312:Treatment Refusal
chemical_list: D005296:Ferrous Compounds; D007166:Immunosuppressive Agents; D004921:Erythropoietin; D000068256:Darbepoetin alfa; C020748:ferrous sulfate; D016572:Cyclosporine; D020123:Sirolimus