Erythropoietin-induced recurrent veno-occlusive priapism associated with end-stage renal disease.

This is the first report of a male hemodialysis patient experiencing recurrent dialysis-associated priapism that resolved when his concurrent erythropoietin dose was reduced from 2000 to 1500 U one time per week and held if his hemoglobin was greater than 10 g/dL. We discuss dialysis-associated priapism and the effects of erythropoietin on the coagulation cascade and male hormone levels in an effort to elucidate the etiology of priapism in this patient.