A prospective study was carried out of serum erythropoietin levels in patients with chronic renal failure/chronic kidney disease in the predialysis period. The study is part of scientific project № 2/2022, financed by Medical University-Pleven. Fifty patients were tested – 22 males and 28 females (average age 63.7±13.0), with average serum creatinine 253±127 mcmol/l and average glomerular filtration rate of 22.6±11.8 ml/min/1,72 m2. The results showed that the serum erythropoietin level varied from 1.86 to 48.50 U/l and was below the borderline in only three patients. There were no significant differences between serum erythropoietin and haemoglobin values in both genders. No differences were found between the average haemoglobin values of patients with different values of serum erythropoietin. Non-significant differences were found in the values of serum erythropoietin in patients with different haemoglobin values. A statistically significant difference between the average value of serum erythropoietin was seen in the group of patients who were not undergoing treatment for anaemia with recombinant erythropoietin (8.5±5.9 U/l) and the groups treated with a dose above 3000 UI/weakly (from 18.6±11.3 to 19.7±8.8 U/l).

erythropoietin, chronic renal failure, renal anaemia, predialysis