BACKGROUND: Coincidental with the pandemic growth of diabetes as the prime cause of end-stage renal disease (ESRD), blindness attributable to diabetic retinopathy has become a major concern for all those involved in the care of diabetic ESRD patients. Vision loss is linked to progression of proliferative retinopathy and macular edema. METHODS: Extracted from a study of azotemic anemic pre-ESRD patients treated with erythropoietin, a cohort of five diabetic subjects was reassessed in terms of stability of renal function, changes in blood rheology, and course of diabetic eye disease. RESULTS: All subjects reported subjective improvement in well-being, including enhanced effort tolerance following an increase in hematocrit from a baseline level of to 29.6 +/- 2.0% to a level of 39.5 +/- 2.4% after one year of treatment with erythropoietin (P = <0.0005). Neither hypertension nor deterioration of renal function was noted in any subject. Three patients with macular edema evinced substantive improvement-based stable vision and documented resolution noted in flourescein angiography. CONCLUSION: Erythropoietin treatment of anemic azotemic diabetic patients is well tolerated. In a small observational retrospective study of three patients with macular edema, retention of vision and resolution of exudates was noted.
BACKGROUND: Coincidental with the pandemic growth of diabetes as the prime cause of end-stage renal disease (ESRD), blindness attributable to diabetic retinopathy has become a major concern for all those involved in the care of diabetic ESRDpatients. Vision loss is linked to progression of proliferative retinopathy and macular edema. METHODS: Extracted from a study of azotemic anemic pre-ESRDpatients treated with erythropoietin, a cohort of five diabetic subjects was reassessed in terms of stability of renal function, changes in blood rheology, and course of diabetic eye disease. RESULTS: All subjects reported subjective improvement in well-being, including enhanced effort tolerance following an increase in hematocrit from a baseline level of to 29.6 +/- 2.0% to a level of 39.5 +/- 2.4% after one year of treatment with erythropoietin (P = <0.0005). Neither hypertension nor deterioration of renal function was noted in any subject. Three patients with macular edema evinced substantive improvement-based stable vision and documented resolution noted in flourescein angiography. CONCLUSION:Erythropoietin treatment of anemic azotemic diabeticpatients is well tolerated. In a small observational retrospective study of three patients with macular edema, retention of vision and resolution of exudates was noted.
Authors: Andreas Stahl; Armin Buchwald; Gottfried Martin; Bernd Junker; Jing Chen; Lutz L Hansen; Hansjurgen T Agostini; Lois E H Smith; Nicolas Feltgen Journal: Retina Date: 2010-10 Impact factor: 4.256
Authors: Michael Brines; Nimesh S A Patel; Pia Villa; Courtenay Brines; Tiziana Mennini; Massimiliano De Paola; Zubeyde Erbayraktar; Serhat Erbayraktar; Bruno Sepodes; Christoph Thiemermann; Pietro Ghezzi; Michael Yamin; Carla C Hand; Qiao-wen Xie; Thomas Coleman; Anthony Cerami Journal: Proc Natl Acad Sci U S A Date: 2008-08-01 Impact factor: 11.205