Kidney Disease Patients on Hemodialysis Who Present Anemia

Anemia in advanced chronic kidney disease on hemodialysis patients is a very prevalent problem , and it is well known that the treatment of this type of anemia is through the use of erythropoiesis-stimulating agents (erythropoietin). However, there are factors that determine a low response to erythropoietin (hyporesponse), which is defined as the need for doses greater than 200 IU/KG/week of erythropoietin to maintain objective hemoglobin levels in patients on hemodialysis, which are between 10 g/ dl to 12 g/dl.(22) In this observational study, analytical, multicenter case-control study, which included 784 patients, the prevalence of hyporesponse was 15.69%. It was found that female sex, age less than 50 years, a BMI less than 23 kg/m² and the use of Renin Angiotensin system blockers presented a higher prevalence of hyporesponse to treatment with EPO. Regarding laboratory parameters, it was found that low albumin levels, high ferritin levels, transferrin saturation less than 20% and high parathormone levels are risk factors associated with hyporesponsiveness to EPO.