Contents:
- Medical Video: Anemia in Chronic Kidney Disease
- What causes anemia in chronic kidney disease?
- What are the signs and symptoms of anemia in someone with chronic kidney disease?
- What are the complications of anemia in someone with chronic kidney disease?
- How to diagnose anemia in chronic kidney disease?
Medical Video: Anemia in Chronic Kidney Disease
Anemia usually occurs in people with chronic kidney disease /chronic kidney disease (CKD) - permanent, partial loss of kidney function. Anemia may begin to develop in the early stages of CKD, when a person has 20 to 50 percent of normal kidney function. Anemia tends to worsen as CKD progresses. Most people who experience total loss of kidney function, or kidney failure, suffer from anemia. A person suffers from kidney failure when he needs a kidney transplant or dialysis to survive.
Two forms of dialysis include hemodialysis and peritoneal dialysis. Hemodialysis uses a machine to circulate a person's blood through a filter outside the body. Peritoneal dialysis uses the lining of the stomach to filter blood in the body.
What causes anemia in chronic kidney disease?
When the kidneys are sick or damaged, they do not make enough EPO. As a result, the bone marrow makes fewer red blood cells, causing anemia. When blood has fewer red blood cells, it blocks the body from the oxygen it needs. Other common causes of anemia in people with kidney disease include blood loss from hemodialysis and low levels of the following nutrients found in food:
- Iron
- Vitamin B12
- Folic acid
This nutrient is needed for red blood cells to make hemoglobin, the main protein carrying oxygen in red blood cells. If treatment for kidney-related anemia does not help, the doctor will look for other causes of anemia, including:
- Another problem with the bone marrow
- Inflammatory problems such as arthritis, lupus, or inflammatory bowel disease where the immune system attacks the cells of the body and its own organs
- Chronic infections such as diabetic ulcers
- Malnutrition
Healthy kidneys produce a hormone called EPO. EPO asks the bone marrow to make red blood cells, which then carry oxygen throughout the body. When the kidneys are sick or damaged, they do not make enough EPO. As a result, the bone marrow makes fewer red blood cells, and causes anemia.
What are the signs and symptoms of anemia in someone with chronic kidney disease?
The signs and symptoms of anemia in someone with CKD may include:
- Limp
- Exhausted, or feeling tired
- Headache
- Problems with concentration
- Pale
- Dizzy
- Difficulty breathing or shortness of breath
- Chest pain
Anyone who has breathing difficulties or shortness of breath should seek immediate medical treatment.
What are the complications of anemia in someone with chronic kidney disease?
Heart problems are complications of anemia and may include:
- Irregular heartbeat or unusually fast heart rate, especially when exercising.
- Enlargement of the muscles in the liver is dangerous.
- Heart failure, which does not mean that the heart suddenly stops working. Conversely, heart failure is a long-term condition in which the heart cannot pump enough blood to meet the body's needs.
How to diagnose anemia in chronic kidney disease?
Doctors diagnose anemia based on:
- Medical history
- Physical examination
- Blood test
Medical history
Checking a medical history is the first thing a doctor might do to diagnose anemia. The doctor will usually ask about the symptoms experienced by the patient.
Physical examination
Physical examination can help diagnose anemia. During a physical examination, the doctor usually checks the patient's body, including checking changes in skin color.
Blood test
To diagnose anemia, doctors can do a complete blood examination, which measures the type and number of blood cells in the body. A blood test involves taking a patient's blood at a health clinic. A health care provider will carefully monitor the amount of hemoglobin in the patient's blood, one measurement in the complete blood count.
Kidney illness: Improving Anemia Work Group Global Outcomes recommend that health care providers diagnose anemia in men over 15 years old when hemoglobin falls below 13 grams per deciliter (g / dL) and in women over 15 years when it falls below 12 g / dL. If someone has lost at least half of normal kidney function and has low hemoglobin, the cause of anemia may be due to a decrease in EPO production.
Two other blood tests help measure iron:
- The level of ferritin helps assess the amount of iron stored in the body. Ferritin amounts below 200 nanograms (ng) per liter can mean someone has iron deficiency that requires treatment.
- The amount of saturated transferrin shows how much iron is available to make red blood cells. The amount of saturated transferring below 30 percent can also mean low iron levels that require treatment.
In addition to blood tests, doctors can order other tests, such as stool blood loss tests, to look for other causes of anemia.
