Androgen versus erythropoietin for the treatment of anemia in hemodialyzed patients: a prospective study.

According to this facility's protocol for the treatment of anemia in hemodialyzed patients, androgens were administered to male patients aged over 50 yr and recombinant human erythropoietin was administered to male patients below 50 yr of age and to female patients. In the study presented here, both therapeutic approaches have been prospectively analyzed. Patients were divided into two groups. Group A was composed of 18 patients, aged 62 +/- 12 yr, treated with nandrolone decanoate (200 mg/wk im) for 6 months; Group B was composed of 22 patients (6 men, 16 women) aged 47 +/- 15 yr, treated with subcutaneous recombinant human erythropoietin (initial dose, 6000 IU/wk) for 6 months. The increases of hemoglobin were similar in both groups; Group A, from 7.3 +/- 0.8 to 10.8 +/- 1.7 g/dL (P < 0.001), and Group B, from 7 +/- 0.6 to 10.4 +/- 1 g/dL (P < 0.001). In Group A, increases of triglycerides (159 +/- 71 versus 267 +/- 153 mg/dL, P < 0.001), serum albumin (3.9 +/- 0.3 versus 4.2 +/- 0.3 g/dL, P < 0.05), and dry weight (62.1 +/- 9.8 versus 64.9 +/- 10.1 kg, P < 0.001) were observed, which remained unmodified in Group B. Blood pressure control worsened in one patient (6%) from Group A, and in ten patients (45%) from Group B (P < 0.05). In conclusion, androgens produced an improvement in anemia in selected patients, similar to that achieved by use of recombinant human erythropoietin but at a lower cost. Androgens also have an appreciable anabolic effect and did not increase the blood pressure.