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The correction of anemia in hemodialysis patients with erythropoietin increases appetite, anabolic effects, and improves physical, psychologyical activities and endocrine functions. As the sense of wellbeing improves, the patients increase food intake and, frequently, their compliance with dietary resriction may decrease. Plasma lipid abnormalities are common among patients undergoing hemodialysis. Those patients, particulary are prone to diffuse atherosclerosis. There are few and conflicting reports about the effects of erythropoietin on the lipid profile. For these reasons it would be interesting to know if long-term treatment with erytropoietin could induce changes in the lipid profile of hemodialysis patients.
Lipid patterns in 23 patients taking erythropoietin, dialysed 63.6±7.0 months and in 25 patients without erythropoietin and dialysed 59.5+9.3 months were analysed. In the patients taking erythropoietin; serum triglycerides, LDL cholesterol, apolipoprotein Al, apolipoprotein B levels were higher than in the patients without erythropoietin (p<0.001). Total cholesterol, lipoprotein cholesterol levels were not significantly different between the two groups (p<0.05). The differences between the two groups and the higher prevalence of "atherogenic" levels (i. e<90mgldl) of this lipoprotein in the patients who were not taking erythropoietin (p<0.01).
We conclude that long-term treatment with erythropoietin changes some lipid patterns and improves serum aapolipoprotein Al levels in hemodialysis patients.