Background: Anemia is a common and serious complication in patients with inflammatory bowel disease. The present study was dedicated to evaluate the therapeutic efficacy of erythropoietin (EPO) combined with enteral nutrition (EN) in anemic Crohn's disease (CD) patients, in terms of hemoglobin level, treatment success rate, adverse events, and predictor of this therapy.
Materials and methods: We performed a prospective study in CD patients. On the basis of hemoglobin level, all enrolled patients were divided into anemic and nonanemic groups. The anemic group was further divided into EPO and non-EPO subgroups, depending on whether EPO was prescribed. Hematological and other parameters were measured initially and in the first 4 weeks after starting treatment.
Results: In total, 109 patients (49 nonanemic and 60 anemic, including 38 EPO and 22 non-EPO) were included. The prevalence of anemia in CD was 55.05%. Age, disease behavior, Crohn's Disease Activity Index scores, C-reactive protein, and erythrocyte sedimentation rate were significantly different between anemic and nonanemic groups. An increase in hemoglobin level and a significant decrease in C-reactive protein level were observed in the EPO treatment group. Treatment success rate was 63.16% in the EPO group, whereas none of patients achieved treatment success in the non-EPO group.
Conclusion: EPO combined with EN can improve the hemoglobin level in anemic CD patients.