title: Long-term treatment with EPO increases serum levels of high-density lipoprotein in patients with CKD.
abstract: BACKGROUND
  Among lipid abnormalities observed in patients with chronic kidney disease (CKD) is a significant decrease in serum high-density lipoprotein cholesterol (HDL-C) levels. In a previously published randomized control trial, we showed that early erythropoietin (EPO) administration in a predialysis population slowed the progression of CKD. In the present nested substudy, we examine whether EPO has an influence on serum HDL-C levels in comparison to other lipid parameters in this population.
  
  
  METHODS
  Eighty-eight patients with CKD stages 3 and 4 were enrolled in the study. Forty-five patients (group 1) were treated with EPO (50 U/kg/wk), targeting to increase hemoglobin levels to 13 g/dL or greater (>or=130 g/L). The other patients (group 2) remained without treatment until hemoglobin levels decreased to less than 9 g/dL (<90 g/L). The duration of the study was 12 months.
  
  
  RESULTS
  At the end of the study, we observed a statistically significant decrease in serum levels of total cholesterol, low-density lipoprotein cholesterol (LDL-C), and triglycerides in both groups. However, serum HDL-C levels significantly increased in only group 1 (from 42.5 +/- 10.4 to 55.9 +/- 8.1 mg/dL [1.10 +/- 0.27 to 1.45 +/- 0.21 mmol/L]; P < 0.001), whereas they were unchanged in group 2. In addition, a significant decrease in atherogenic LDL-C/HDL-C ratio was observed in only group 1. Importantly, the increase in serum HDL-C levels correlated positively with the increase in hemoglobin values in EPO-treated patients.
  
  
  CONCLUSIONS
  Our results show that EPO treatment of predialysis patients with CKD significantly increases serum HDL-C levels, which may represent an important antiatherogenic effect of this hormone.
authors.affiliation: Department of Nephrology and Biochemistry Laboratory, University Hospital of Ioannina, Greece. ksiamop@cc.uoi.gr
authors.forename: Kostas C
authors.initials: KC
authors.lastname: Siamopoulos
authors.forename: Chariklia
authors.initials: C
authors.lastname: Gouva
authors.forename: Konstantinos P
authors.initials: KP
authors.lastname: Katopodis
authors.forename: Christos
authors.initials: C
authors.lastname: Tzallas
authors.forename: Peter
authors.initials: P
authors.lastname: Nikolopoulos
authors.forename: Eleni C
authors.initials: EC
authors.lastname: Papavasiliou
authors.forename: Alexandros D
authors.initials: AD
authors.lastname: Tselepis
mesh_terms: D000328:Adult; D000368:Aged; D000369:Aged, 80 and over; D008076:Cholesterol, HDL / Q000097:blood / Q000187:drug effects*; D002908:Chronic Disease; D004921:Erythropoietin / Q000494:pharmacology* / Q000627:therapeutic use*; D005260:Female; D006454:Hemoglobins / Q000032:analysis; D006801:Humans; D007674:Kidney Diseases / Q000150:complications* / Q000188:drug therapy*; D008297:Male; D008875:Middle Aged; D006435:Renal Dialysis
chemical_list: D008076:Cholesterol, HDL; D006454:Hemoglobins; D004921:Erythropoietin