Background: Female gender is associated with high erythropoietin (EPO) resistance in end-stage renal disease. The aim of our study was to investigate the roles of age and menstrual status in this relationship. Methods: Cross-sectional analysis of registry data for 3,224 hemodialysis adults treated with EPO. Data collection included gender, age, weight, height, dialytic age, hemoglobin, EPO dose, and, for women with ages 25–44 only, also information on menstrual status and iron homeostasis. EPO resistance index (ERI) was calculated as EPO dose per kilogram BW/hemoglobin. Results: Men and women had not significantly different hemoglobin and significantly different EPO dose per kilogram weight (women vs. men, +18.2%, p < 0.001). Thus, ERI was higher in women than in men (+19.5%, p < 0.001). The gender-associated difference in ERI linearly decreased along age groups: +30.9% for ages 25–44, +23.2% for ages 45–64, and +14.2% for ages 65–84 (p < 0.05 for interaction between age and gender-associated difference in ERI). Within the subgroup of women with ages 25–44, women with menses in comparison to women without had 44.6% higher ERI (p < 0.01) due to combination of lower hemoglobin (p < 0.05) with higher EPO dose (p < 0.001). Women with menses had also lower serum iron, transferrin saturation, and serum ferritin (p < 0.001). Conclusion: The gender-associated difference in ERI is lower with increasing patients’ age. The large difference between young men and women is due to women with menses who have iron deficiency more frequently than women without periods.

This content is only available via PDF.
Copyright / Drug Dosage / Disclaimer
Copyright: All rights reserved. No part of this publication may be translated into other languages, reproduced or utilized in any form or by any means, electronic or mechanical, including photocopying, recording, microcopying, or by any information storage and retrieval system, without permission in writing from the publisher.
Drug Dosage: The authors and the publisher have exerted every effort to ensure that drug selection and dosage set forth in this text are in accord with current recommendations and practice at the time of publication. However, in view of ongoing research, changes in government regulations, and the constant flow of information relating to drug therapy and drug reactions, the reader is urged to check the package insert for each drug for any changes in indications and dosage and for added warnings and precautions. This is particularly important when the recommended agent is a new and/or infrequently employed drug.
Disclaimer: The statements, opinions and data contained in this publication are solely those of the individual authors and contributors and not of the publishers and the editor(s). The appearance of advertisements or/and product references in the publication is not a warranty, endorsement, or approval of the products or services advertised or of their effectiveness, quality or safety. The publisher and the editor(s) disclaim responsibility for any injury to persons or property resulting from any ideas, methods, instructions or products referred to in the content or advertisements.
You do not currently have access to this content.