the effect of recombinant erythropoietin on the levels of hemoglobin, mean corpuscular volume, ldh, and length of stay at the hospital in covid-19 patients

Background: erythropoietin plays a significant role in the growth of red blood cells, hemoglobin levels, and tissue oxygenation in critically ill patients, as well as anti-inflammatory and neuroprotective effects. objectives: this study aimed to evaluate the effect of recombinant erythropoietin on improving covid-19 patients. methods: this study was conducted on 20 covid-19 participants with hemoglobin of ≥ 9. the inclusion criteria was at least one severe covid-19 symptom/sign in this interventional study. the primary outcome was a combination of hospital stay length and paraclinical evaluation (ldh and hemoglobin level). the outcomes and side effects were evaluated on day 0 (before the intervention) and five (post-intervention). results: the mean hemoglobin level was 10 ± 1.1 gr/dl in the intervention group and 8 ± 0.7 gr/dl in the control group post-treatment, indicating a significant difference between the groups (p = 0.04). the mean hospital stay length (6 ± 2 days) in the intervention group was significantly less than the control group (9 ± 4 days) (p = 0.001). at the end of the treatment, the mean ldh was significantly lower in the intervention group (503 ± 264 µ/l) than in the control group (725 ± 320 µ/l; p = 0.017). conclusions: according to the results, this study provides the first solid evidence for the positive effects of recombinant erythropoietin on covid-19.