POSTTRANSPLANT ERYTHROCYTOSIS - ROLE OF ERYTHROPOIETIN AND MALE SEX-HORMONES

Seventeen patients with post-renal transplant erythrocytosis and 17 no n-erythrocytotic controls, matched in age, sex, serum creatinine and s ource of donor kidney, were studied to determine the role of erythropo ietin, male sex hormones (testosterone, FSH, LH), and various patient risk factors in post-transplant erythrocytosis. Serum erythropoietin w as significantly greater in erythrocytotic patients (35.6 +/- 5.7 mU/m l) than non-erythrocytotic patients (18.8 +/- 2.6 mU/ml) (P < 0.05) an d normal subjects (22.5 +/- 0.95 mU/ml) P < 0.05). Serum testosterone was similar between the male study (13.2 +/- 6.2 nmol/l) and control ( 13.1 +/- 6.0 nmol/l) patients. This might be due to the greater basal LH in the male control subjects (13.9 +/- 11.7 IU/l versus 8.0 +/- 3.3 IU/l in erythrocytotic males, P = 0.084). Basal FSH in the male contr ols was greater than that in the study group (13.7 +/- 14 IU/l versus 6.8 +/- 2.9 IU/l, P = 0.067). Among the demographic risk factors, only the smoking history was important. There were more smokers among the erythrocytotic patients than controls (P = 0.051).