EPO--one year later: a look at rehabilitation. The impact of long-term epoetin beta therapy on ESRD patient quality of life.

Overview

Long-term observational studies such as the one reported here represent the best chance for measuring the effects of epoetin treatment on quality of life as compared with conventional treatment. When scores were adjusted for between-group differences, patients receiving epoetin beta for an average of 18 months demonstrated significantly better quality of life in 16 of the 26 parameters reported. These measures included all global measurements, psychological well-being as measured by IGA, sleep, rest, energy, SIP psychosocial subscale, and total SIP score. While differences were not significant, remaining measurements were higher in the epoetin beta group. On the basis of this study, epoetin beta treatment has a beneficial effect on energy, the ability to work, and participation in activities such as home management, recreation, and pastimes. While the mean score for ability to work was significantly higher in the epoetin beta-treated patients, the work category of the SIP was not significantly different from the untreated population. The fact that the latter scale was completed by only the small proportion of the patients who were actually working may have contributed to this insignificant finding. The current study demonstrates sustained benefit form epoetin beta compared with conventional therapy, even after 18 months. These long-term results validate previously published results of benefits seen during shorter-term epoetin therapy.