Symptoms, Causes, and Treatment of Anemia in Chronic Kidney Disease

Understanding Anemia in Chronic Kidney Disease

Some key functions of your kidneys are filtering blood, removing waste and excess fluid, and stimulating red blood cell production. Chronic kidney disease (CKD) damages your kidneys, preventing them from working as expected. CKD advances slowly, so you may not notice symptoms for some time, but anemia may become a complication as CKD worsens. It is estimated that approximately 37 million Americans have CKD. High blood pressure, heart disease, and diabetes are some of the primary risk factors for the condition. But exactly how are chronic kidney disease and anemia related?

How Anemia is Related to Chronic Kidney Disease

Your kidneys usually produce erythropoietin, a hormone that stimulates your bone marrow to produce red blood cells. When CKD damages your kidneys, they make less erythropoietin than normal. And as a result, your body produces fewer red blood cells, causing anemia.

Anemia is a complication of chronic kidney disease. It’s less common in the initial stages of CKD and typically worsens as the kidney disease advances. Anemia in chronic kidney disease is also called anemia of renal disease.

Causes of Anemia in Chronic Kidney Disease

The main cause of anemia in CKD is a reduction in the production of erythropoietin in the kidneys (because of CKD). Less erythropoietin than normal results in fewer red blood cells in your body, causing anemia. However, many other factors could contribute to the development of the condition.

Symptoms of Anemia in People with CKD

Anemia in chronic kidney disease usually progresses slowly. It may cause few or no symptoms in the early stages of CKD. If the symptoms develop, they may include the following:

• Fatigue
• Weakness
• Shortness of breath
• Dizziness or lightheadedness
• Chest pain
• Cold hands and feet

It’s best to speak to your doctor if you have any of these symptoms.

Diagnosing Anemia in CKD Patients

Doctors typically use blood tests, medical histories, and physical exams to detect anemia in CKD patients.

Complications of Anemia

With severe anemia in chronic kidney disease, the heart receives insufficient oxygen and works harder to pump adequate red blood cells to other body parts. The risk of heart problems increases because of this. Moreover, different body organs can fail if you don’t treat anemia over time. The condition can also be life-threatening if left untreated for a long period.

Treating Anemia in CKD Patients

Possible treatment methods for anemia in chronic kidney disease include:

• Treating anemia in CKD with medicine
• Treating iron-deficiency anemia
• Treating vitamin B12-deficiency anemia
• Blood transfusions

How you treat anemia in CKD depends on the factor or factors affecting your red blood cells, as well as your specific health needs.

Who is at Risk of Developing Anemia in Chronic Kidney Disease?

The more advanced your kidney disease, the higher the risk of anemia. Chronic kidney disease has five stages — stage five is the most severe, while stage one is the least. Older adults over 60 are also at a higher risk of anemia with CKD. Additionally, CKD patients who also have diabetes are more likely to get anemia than people without diabetes.

How Common is Anemia in Chronic Kidney Disease?

The Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC) states that about 37 million American adults have CKD. However, about 40% of people with highly reduced kidney functions who aren’t on dialysis may not be aware that they have CKD. And approximately more than 1 out of 7 kidney disease patients have anemia.

The Lowdown

The kidney produces a hormone called erythropoietin, which stimulates the bone marrow to produce red blood cells. When CKD damages the kidney, erythropoietin is produced in less-than-normal amounts. As a result, the body produces fewer red blood cells, causing anemia in CKD. Other causes include infections,