Article ID | Journal | Published Year | Pages | File Type |
---|---|---|---|---|
3852004 | American Journal of Kidney Diseases | 2006 | 8 Pages |
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 (â¥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. Conclusion: 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.
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Authors
Kostas C. MD, FRSH, Chariklia MD, Konstantinos P. MD, Christos Tzallas, Peter Nikolopoulos, Eleni C. MSc, Alexandros D. MD, PhD,