Two Cases of Pure Red Cell Aplasia Due to Anti-erythropoietin Antibodies / 대한신장학회잡지

ABSTRACT

We reported upon two Korean patients who developed pure red cell aplasia (PRCA) due to anti- erythropoietin (EPO) antibodies. The first patient became refractory to EPO treatment after a good response for an initial 26 months. Anti-EPO antibodies were detected by ELISA and by radioimmunoprecipitation, and these were found to inhibit the formation of erythroid colonies by in-vitro bioassay. In the second patient, the anemia became aggravated, and wheals appeared at the EPO injection site 3 months after the initiation of subcutaneous EPO treatment. Anti-EPO antibodies were detected by ELISA, and he showed partial response to the second course of corticosteroid treatment. Our cases showed that PRCA due to anti-EPO antibodies becomes an important issue in Asian as well as Caucasians.