DOES RECOMBINANT-HUMAN-ERYTHROPOIETIN NOT ONLY TREAT ANEMIA BUT REDUCE POSTPARTUM (EMOTIONAL) DISTRESS AS WELL

Based on the established rhEPO treatment of anemia in endstage renal f ailure, which results in improved quality of life, and on the clinical observation that patients with postpartum anemia treated with rhEPO s eemed to gain a more stable mood, we inferred that there is a benefici al side-effect of rhEPO on postpartum blues. The aim of this study was to test the hypotheses 1) that postpartum anemia aggravates, and 2) t hat treatment of postpartum anemia with rhEPO reduces maternity blues. The results show that on the fifth day postpartum anemic patients sco re consistently worse than nonanemic women on the Symptom Checklist SC L-90-R, indicating more symptoms and distress in general, and also mor e symptoms characteristic of maternity blues (p < 0.05). On a ''Blues Questionnaire,'' postpartum anemia expresses itself with a reduced ''w ell-being'' (p < 0.001). Thus, our first hypothesis was verified. Ther e were no differences by the fifth day postpartum between anemic patie nts receiving either rhEPO or placebo. Our second hypothesis was thus not confirmed within this limited time. We conclude as clinicians that postpartum anemia should be treated effectively to reduce distress an d hence the risk for postpartum affective disorders. Follow-up studies after rhEPO treatment beyond the first week post partum are needed. I n addition, in investigations on postpartum affective disorders, the h emoglobin concentration should be considered.