A comparison of androgens for anemia in patients on hemodialysis

N Engl J Med. 1981 Apr 9;304(15):871-5.

A comparison of androgens for anemia in patients on hemodialysis.

Neff MS, Goldberg J, Slifkin RF, Eiser AR, Calamia V, Kaplan M, Baez A, Gupta S,
Mattoo N.

To compare the erythropoietic effects of nandrolone decanoate, testosterone
enanthate, oxymetholone, and fluoxymesterone, we performed a randomized clinical
trial in patients with anemia who were receiving maintenance hemodialysis (the
women were not given testosterone enanthate). After a control period of at least
two months, patients received one of the drugs for six months and then returned
to control status; a second and third drug were administered in a similar
fashion. Seventy-seven patients completed the first drug period, 56 the second,
and 35 the third. The response to nandrolone and testosterone enanthate, the two
drugs given by injection, was clearly superior to the response to oxymetholone or
fluoxymesterone, given by mouth, in terms of the percentage of patients
responding and the mean rise in hematocrit. Approximately half the patients had
an increase of at least 5 percentage points in hematocrit after an injectable
androgen was given; more than half the women responded. Patients who required
transfusions regularly and those who had bilateral nephrectomies did not respond.