Successful treatment of neonatal rhesus hemolytic anemia with high doses of recombinant human erythropoietin

The authors report the use of high-dose recombinant erythropoietin (r-HuEPO ) in a full-term newborn baby with severe postnatal rhesus hemolytic anemia (RHA). Hemoglobin (Ha) value and reticulocyte count at day 13 of life were 59 g/L and 234 x 10(9)/L, respectively. Three days after the r-HuEPO (870 U/kg/d) administration, reticulocyte count had increased more than 4-fold a nd Hb rose to 73 g/L. r-HuEPO was gradually decreased after 18 days of trea tment. No major side effect was observed. In selected cases of severe anemi a due to hemolytic disorders, transfusions may be avoided by the use of hig h doses of r-HuEPO.