Abstract:
Objective To explore the efficacy of different doses of intravenous iron on maintenance hemodialysis (MHD) patients and examine the survival status.
Methods Eighty MHD patients were randomized into low-dose group (n=40) and high-dose group ( n=40). Low-dose group received 100 mg/2 weeks for a total of 200 mg per month while high-dose group 100 mg/week for a total of 400 mg per month. The levels of oxidative stress superoxide dismutase (SOD), glutathione peroxidase (GSH-px), inflammatory factors tumor necrosis factor alpha (TNF-α), interleukin-6 (IL-6), high-sensitivity C-reactive protein (hs-CRP), dosage of recombinant human erythropoietin (rHuEPO), ferritin, hemoglobin and occurrence of adverse reactions were compared between two groups. And survival curve was plotted for examining the relationship between different doses of intravenous iron and the survival of MHD patients.
Results Compared with before treatment, the levels of serum SOD (61.68±6.31)U/mL vs (120.56±12.16)U/mL, (60.52±6.13)U/mL vs (121.34±12.24)U/mL, GSH-px (115.64±11.95)U/L vs (180.34±18.11)U/L, (116.23±11.12)U/L vs (181.42±18.35)U/L declined markedly in both groups after treatment (P<0.05); serum levels of TNF-α (26.74±2.68)ng/L vs (15.68±1.58)ng/L, (26.34±2.64)ng/L vs (16.11±1.65)ng/L, IL-6 (34.67±3.58)ng/L vs (23.58±2.41)ng/L, (34.15±3.43)ng/L vs (23.69±2.45)ng/L, hs-CRP (3.24±0.90)mg/L vs (2.63±0.61)mg/L, (3.13±0.78)mg/L vs (2.52±0.59)mg/L spiked greatly (P<0.05). However, inter-group comparison showed no significant difference (P>0.05). Significant inter-group differences existed in rHuEPO dosage (1250.42±125.37)U/W vs (1325.67±132.58)U/W, ferritin (230.58±22.74)μg/L vs (211.46±21.62) μg/L and hemoglobin (3.45±0.56)g/L vs (3.78±0.62)g/L before and after treatment (P<0.05). During a follow-up period of 3 years, 8 deaths (20.00%) occurred in low-dose group while 5 deaths (12.50%) in high-dose group. Kaplan-Meier curve was plotted. Log-rank test indicated that χ2=0.654, P=0.419.
Conclusions Both 200 mg/month and 400 mg/month intravenous iron can aggravate oxidative stress and inflammatory response in MHD patients. And 400 mg/month intravenous iron reduces the dosage of rHuEPO and boosts the levels of ferritin and hemoglobin. With a short treatment cycle, it has no obvious impact on 3-year patient survival. Thus it is recommended for clinical application.