Improvement of Anaemia With Desferrioxamine in Haemodialysis Patients

We have prospectively investigated the effect of desferrioxamine(DFO)administration (2 g i.v. after every haemodialysis session for6 months) on the normocytic and normochromic anaemia of sevenhaemodialysis patients. None had either clinical or analyticaldata characteristic of chronic aluminium intoxication. At theend of DFO therapy, the haematocrit had increased from 20.5±2.7%to 30.4±7.7% (P< 0.005), and the transfusional requirementsdecreased from 3.5±2.2 units (range 1–8 units)in the 6 months prior to DFO, to 0.7±0.9 units (range0–2 units) during DFO administration (P<0.01). No transfusionwas required during the second half of the DFO therapy period.Serum ferritin decreased from 1059±532 nmol/l (2649±1331ng/ml) to 507±403 nmol/l (1268±1008 ng/ml) (P<0.025).Two months after DFO withdrawal the haematocrit value fell significantlyto 22.2±1.6% (P<0.01). DFO therapy was restarted inone patient at a lower dose (1 g i.v. after every haemodialysissession) and an increase of haematocrit from 23.8% to 40.2%was again observed after 3 months of treatment. The toleranceto DFO was excellent. We conclude that DFO therapy should beconsidered in haemodialysis patients with severe anaemia andincreased blood transfusion requirements.