Antierythropoietin Antibodies in Hemodialysis Patients Treated with Recombinant Erythropoietin

OBJECTIVE: Erythropoietin resistance is a serious problem in patients treated with recombinant erythropoietin. Antierythropoietin antibodies are considered to be one of the causes of this resistance.

MATERIAL and METHODS: We investigated antierythropoietin antibodies in chronic hemodialysis patients and compared the results with healthy controls by means of establishing an ELISA method. A total of 121 chronic hemodialysis patients receiving recombinant erythropoietin were included in the study. The patients were subdivided according to the type of recombinant erythropoietin (erythropoietin-α or erythropoietin-β) they had been treated with in the last six months.

RESULTS: The absorbance values of patients were compared with the absorbance values of the control group by a specific and reproducible method. LOD (limit of detection) and LOQ (limit of quantitation) values were also calculated. The difference in the absorbance values between the therapy and control groups was statistically significant.

CONCLUSION: Both erythropoietin-α and erythropoietin-β induce production of antibodies against erythropoietin. Anti rh-EPO antibodies may play a role in EPO resistance.