Management of anemia in children receiving chronic peritoneal dialysis

Little information exists regarding the efficacy, modifiers, and outcomes of anemia management in children with CKD or ESRD. We assessed practices, effectors, and outcomes of anemia management in 1394 pediatric patients undergoing peritoneal dialysis (PD) who were prospectively followed in 30 countries. We noted that 25% of patients had hemoglobin levels below target (<10 g/dl or <9.5 g/dl in children older or younger than 2 years, respectively), with significant regional variation; levels were highest in North America and Europe and lowest in Asia and Turkey. Low hemoglobin levels were associated with low urine output, low serum albumin, high parathyroid hormone, high ferritin, and the use of bioincompatible PD fluid. Erythropoiesis-stimulating agents (ESAs) were prescribed to 92% of patients, and neither the type of ESA nor the dosing interval appeared to affect efficacy. The weekly ESA dose inversely correlated with age when scaled to weight but did not correlate with age when normalized to body surface area. ESA sensitivity was positively associated with residual diuresis and serum albumin and inversely associated with serum parathyroid hormone and ferritin. The prevalence of hypertension and left ventricular hypertrophy increased with the degree of anemia. Patient survival was positively associated with achieved hemoglobin and serum albumin and was inversely associated with ESA dose. In conclusion, control of anemia in children receiving long-term PD varies by region. ESA requirements are independent of age when dose is scaled to body surface area, and ESA resistance is associated with inflammation, fluid retention, and hyperparathyroidism. Anemia and high ESA dose requirements independently predict mortality.

Postdiarrheal Shiga toxin-mediated hemolytic uremic syndrome similar to septic shock

The inflammatory response of host endothelial cells is included in the development of vascular damage observed in enterohemorrhagic Escherichia coli (EHEC) infection, resulting in hemolytic uremic syndrome (HUS). The response to a non-conventional treatment for a group of D+ HUS (diarrhea positive HUS) patients, with clinical hemodynamic parameters of septic shock was evaluated in this prospective study (1999-2003). Twelve children 2.8 +/- 0.6 years old, with D+ HUS produced by E. coli infection with serological evidence of Shiga toxin, presenting severe unstable hemodynamic parameters and neurological dysfunction at onset, were studied. The protocol included fresh frozen plasma infusions, methylprednisolone pulses (10mg/k/day) for three consecutive days and plasma exchange for five days, starting after admission to the intensive care unit (ICU). The twelve patients with increased pediatric risk of mortality (PRISM) score: 18 +/- 2 after admission to intensive care unit (ICU), required dialysis for 17.4 +/- 4 days, mechanical ventilator assistance for 10 +/- 1 days and early inotropic drugs support for 10.5 +/- 1 days. Neurological dysfunction included generalized tonic-clonic seizures lasting for 5.4 +/- 1 days, n:8. Focal seizures were present in the remaining patients. Dilated cardiomyopathy was present in 6 children. Eight children suffered hemorrhagic colitis. Nine patients survived. Within one year of the injury, neurological sequelae, Glasgow outcome scale (GOS) 3 and 4, were present in two patients, chronic renal failure in one patient. We suggest that early introduction of this protocol could benefit D+ HUS patients with hemodynamic instability and neurological dysfunction at onset. Further studies are likely to elucidate the mechanisms involved in this early adverse clinical presentation of D+ HUS patients.