title: Resistance of dialyzed patients to erythropoietin.
abstract: Resistance to recombinant human erythropoietin is a common condition in dialyzed patients with chronic kidney disease and is associated with more hospitalizations, increased mortality and frequent blood transfusions. The main cause of hyporesponsiveness to recombinant human erythropoietin in these patients is iron deficiency. However, a high proportion of patients does not respond to treatment, even to the use of intravenous iron, which indicates the presence of other important causes of resistance. In addition to the iron deficiency, the most common causes of resistance include inflammation, infection, malnutrition, inadequate dialysis, and hyperparathyroidism, although other factors may be associated. In the presence of adequate iron stores, other causes should be investigated and treated appropriately.
authors.affiliation: Universidade Federal de Minas Gerais (UFMG), Belo Horizonte, MG, Brazil.
authors.forename: Michelle Teodoro
authors.initials: MT
authors.lastname: Alves
authors.affiliation: Hospital Felício Rocho, Belo Horizonte, MG, Brazil.
authors.forename: Sandra Simone
authors.initials: SS
authors.lastname: Vilaça
authors.affiliation: Universidade Federal de Minas Gerais (UFMG), Belo Horizonte, MG, Brazil.
authors.forename: Maria das Graças
authors.initials: Md
authors.lastname: Carvalho
authors.affiliation: Universidade Federal de Minas Gerais (UFMG), Belo Horizonte, MG, Brazil.
authors.forename: Ana Paula
authors.initials: AP
authors.lastname: Fernandes
authors.affiliation: Universidade Federal de Minas Gerais (UFMG), Belo Horizonte, MG, Brazil.
authors.forename: Luci Maria Sant'Ana
authors.initials: LM
authors.lastname: Dusse
authors.affiliation: Universidade Federal de Minas Gerais (UFMG), Belo Horizonte, MG, Brazil. Electronic address: karinabgb@gmail.com.
authors.forename: Karina Braga
authors.initials: KB
authors.lastname: Gomes
keywords: Dialysis; Erythropoietin; Iron