Relationship between erythropoietin and chronic heart failure in patients on chronic hemodialysis

In the present study, the relationship between the blood erythropoietin lev el and cardiac function was investigated in 15 patients on chronic hemodial ysis who developed chronic heart failure. Another 45 patients without cardi ac dysfunction were selected as a control group that was matched for gender , age, and the duration of dialysis. The erythropoietin level was 256.3 +/- 481.8 mU/ml in the heart failure group, which was significantly higher tha n that in the control group (17.0 +/- 10.0 mU/ml, P < 0.01). Eight of the 1 5 patients in the heart failure group maintained a hematocrit of more than 30% without receiving recombinant human erythropoietin therapy, whereas 29 of the 45 patients in the control group required erythropoietin. In the hea rt failure group, the erythropoietin level was, significantly correlated wi th the levels of atrial natriuretic peptide and brain natriuretic peptide ( P < 0.01). These results suggest that heart failure can increase the erythr opoietin level in proportion to the severity of cardiac dysfunction, even i n patients on long-term dialysis.