EFFECTS OF ERİTROPOİETİN AND L-CARNITINE ON ANEMIA, ERYTHROCYTES LIFE AND FRAGILITY IN DIALYZED PATIENTS

Anemia in dialysis patients, improves significantly with eritropoietin (EPO), and slightly with L-Carnitine (LCj treatment. But, the improving mechanisms of this drugs are not well established. For investigation mechanisms, to evaluate of EPO and LC on erythrocytes survive (RBCs), and osmotic fragility (OF), lipid peroxidation as malonyl dialdehyde-MDA and intraerythocyte superoxide dismutase-SOD that releated anemia occurence, was aimed. This study performed on 51 stable dialysis patients (30 of them were treated with hemodialysis, and 21 of them were treated with continuous ambulatory peritoneal dialysis). 44 healthy individuals included as a control group. EPO was given to 22 patients S.C. 61 ±21 U/kg/'twice a week S.C. for 16 months. LC was given 2 gr/day for first four months then 20-25 mg/kg/three day in a week for following 12 months. In addition mothly controls at initial, after 16 months OF, MDA, SOD and free Carnitine (FC) and initial, at 6 and 12 months RBCs Cr1 1/2 (in 10 healthy, 10 EPO, 22 LC group) were measured. Increased OF, MDA and decreased RBCs, FC, SOD were found at initial. After treatment, all of these were improved, but SOD only EPO group. Our findings suggest that LC improves anemia by decreasing lipid peroxidation, EPO improves anemia, by both lipid peroxidation and antioxidant system in addition its erythropoietic effect.