U.S. Department of Health and Human Services
NATIONAL INSTITUTES OF HEALTH NIH News
National Institute of Neurological Disorders and Stroke (NINDS) <https://www.ninds.nih.gov/>
For Immediate Release: Wednesday, January 15, 2020
CONTACT: Barbara McMakin, (301) 496-5751, <e-mail:nindspressteam@xxxxxxxxxxxxx>
MEDIA AVAILABILITY
IN EXTREMELY PRE-TERM INFANTS, USE OF HORMONE NO DIFFERENT THAN PLACEBO FOR NEUROPROTECTION
NIH-funded study suggests erythropoietin, while safe, may not protect against severe brain damage
WHAT:
A rigorous study published in the New England Journal of Medicine suggests that erythropoietin treatment may not provide neuroprotective outcomes in extremely premature babies who were born between 24-28 weeks gestation.
In this multicenter study, led by Sandra E. Juul, M.D., Ph.D., a professor at the University of Washington School of Medicine in Seattle, more than 900 infants were randomized to receive high-dose erythropoietin or placebo multiple times a week from birth to 32 weeks corrected age.
The results suggest that high-dose erythropoietin treatment does not lower the risk of death or severe brain damage at 2 years of age in children who had been born at a very premature stage. There were no differences in severe side effects between the treatment and placebo groups.
Erythropoietin is a naturally occurring hormone made by the kidneys that is involved in production of red blood cells, and is used to treat anemia. Erythropoietin is also found in the brain, and studies have suggested it may help protect brain cells from injury by controlling the immune response and inflammation.
WHO:
Adam Hartman, M.D., program director, NIH's National Institute of Neurological Disorders and Stroke (NINDS). To arrange an interview, please contact nindspressteam@xxxxxxxxxxxxx
Article:
Juul SE et al., A Randomized Trial of Erythropoietin for Neuroprotection in Preterm Infants, New England Journal of Medicine, Jan 15, 2020.
This study was supported by the NINDS (U01NS077955, U01NS077953).
For more information:
<https://www.ninds.nih.gov/>
NINDS <https://www.ninds.nih.gov/> is the nation's leading funder of research on the brain and nervous system. The mission of NINDS is to seek fundamental knowledge about the brain and nervous system and to use that knowledge to reduce the burden of neurological disease.
About the National Institutes of Health (NIH): NIH, the nation's medical research agency, includes 27 Institutes and Centers and is a component of the U.S. Department of Health and Human Services. NIH is the primary federal agency conducting and supporting basic, clinical, and translational medical research, and is investigating the causes, treatments, and cures for both common and rare diseases. For more information about NIH and its programs, visit <www.nih.gov>.
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