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Effects of intravitreal erythropoietin therapy for patients with chronic and progressive diabetic macular edema
Journal article   Peer reviewed

Effects of intravitreal erythropoietin therapy for patients with chronic and progressive diabetic macular edema

Weiye Li, Stephen H Sinclair and Guo-Tong Xu
Ophthalmic surgery, lasers & imaging, v 41(1), pp 18-25
Jan 2010
DOI: https://doi.org/10.3928/15428877-20091230-03
PMID: 20128565
Featured in Collection :   UN Sustainable Development Goals @ Drexel

Abstract

Aged Chronic Disease Diabetic Retinopathy - complications Diabetic Retinopathy - diagnosis Diabetic Retinopathy - drug therapy Disease Progression Erythropoietin - administration & dosage Female Fluorescein Angiography Follow-Up Studies Fundus Oculi Humans Injections Macular Edema - diagnosis Macular Edema - drug therapy Macular Edema - etiology Male Middle Aged Recombinant Proteins Time Factors Tomography, Optical Coherence Treatment Outcome Visual Acuity Vitreous Body
To determine the effects of intravitreal injections of erythropoietin in eyes with severe, chronic diabetic macular edema, 5 eyes of 5 patients underwent injections of rHuEPO alpha (EPO). All eyes had progressive vision loss and persistent or worsening edema with prior multi-modal treatment. EPO (5U/50 microL) was injected intravitreally every 6 weeks for three doses and followed for an additional 6 weeks with complete ocular examinations, fluorescein angiography, optical coherence tomography (OCT), and central field acuity perimetry. Visual acuity of all patients was subjectively improved by 3 or more lines in 3 eyes and 1 line in 2 eyes. Visual acuity improved to a larger extent than anatomic improvement by OCT. Clearing of hard exudates but only minor improvement in leakage on fluorescein angiography was observed. Improvement in vision occurred within 1 week after the first injection and was maintained until the end point of the current case series (at 18 weeks after the first injection). This case series seems to show a short-term positive response to EPO for a specific group of patients with chronic diabetic macular edema who were unresponsive to currently available therapies.

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Web of Science research areas
Ophthalmology
Surgery
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