title: Do diabetic dialysis patients require more or less of erythropoietin?
abstract: OBJECTIVE
  To evaluate differences in erythropoietin requirements between diabetic and non-diabetic patients on hemodialysis and peritoneal dialysis.
  
  
  METHODS
  This was a retrospective, cross-sectional study conducted between January 2010 and December 2011, at King Khalid University Hospital Riyadh, Saudi Arabia, with 47 peritoneal and 57 hemodialysis patients.
  
  
  METHODS
  A total of 24 (51%) peritoneal dialysis and 30 (52.6%) hemodialysis patients were suffering from diabetes. We compared demographics, hemoglobin, ferritin, transferrin saturation, C-reactive protein, parathyroid hormone, and weekly erythropoietin dose.
  
  
  RESULTS
  The mean weekly dose of erythropoietin was 5391.3 (4692.7) units in peritoneal dialysis (diabetic and non-diabetic) patients compared to 9869.7 (5631.7) units in hemodialysis (diabetic and non-diabetic) patients, with a difference of 4478.3 (6615) units (P=.001). The mean weekly dose in diabetic peritoneal dialysis patients was 3818.2 (4489.5) units, compared to 8814.8 (5121.9) units in hemodialysis (P=.001) patients. The mean weekly dose in non-diabetic peritoneal dialysis patients was 6545.4 (3863.5) units compared to 12 222 (6210) units in non-diabetic hemodialysis patients (P=.02). Diabetic peritoneal dialysis patients required a lower dose of erythropoietin compared to non-diabetic peritoneal dialysis patients (3818.2 [4489.5] units vs 6545.4 [3863.5] units per week) (P=.036). In hemodialysis patients, the mean erythropoietin dose was lower in diabetic patients compared to non-diabetic patients (8814.8 [5121.9] units vs 12 222 [6210] units per week) (P=.043).
  
  
  CONCLUSIONS
  The diabetic patients in both groups (hemodialysis and peritoneal dialysis) required less erythropoietin than non-diabetic patients. Diabetic patients on peritoneal dialysis required less erythropoietin diabetic patients on hemodialysis.
authors.affiliation: Dr. Ahmad Mitwalli, Department of Medicine,, King Saud Univesity,, PO Box 45299 Riyadh 11512,, Saudi Arabia, amituuali@ ksu.edu.sa.
authors.forename: Ahmad
authors.initials: A
authors.lastname: Mitwalli
authors.forename: Abdulkareem
authors.initials: A
authors.lastname: Alsuwaida
authors.forename: Jamal Al
authors.initials: JA
authors.lastname: Wakeel
authors.forename: Saira
authors.initials: S
authors.lastname: Usama
authors.forename: Nouf
authors.initials: N
authors.lastname: Zainalddain
authors.forename: Mohammed
authors.initials: M
authors.lastname: Al Ghonaim
authors.forename: Durdana
authors.initials: D
authors.lastname: Hammad
mesh_terms: D000328:Adult; D000368:Aged; D000369:Aged, 80 and over; D000740:Anemia / Q000209:etiology / Q000517:prevention & control*; D003430:Cross-Sectional Studies; D003920:Diabetes Mellitus / Q000503:physiopathology*; D004305:Dose-Response Relationship, Drug; D004921:Erythropoietin / Q000008:administration & dosage* / Q000627:therapeutic use; D005260:Female; D006785:Hospitals, University; D006801:Humans; D007676:Kidney Failure, Chronic / Q000628:therapy; D008297:Male; D008875:Middle Aged; D010530:Peritoneal Dialysis / Q000379:methods; D006435:Renal Dialysis / Q000379:methods*; D012189:Retrospective Studies; D012529:Saudi Arabia
chemical_list: D004921:Erythropoietin