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Hematide

Anemia

Anemia is a condition in which a person’s blood has a lower than normal number of red blood cells and does not deliver enough oxygen from the lungs to the rest of the body. As a result, people with anemia can feel tired or weak, get headaches, and have difficulty in thinking.i In severe or prolonged cases of anemia, the lack of oxygen in the blood can cause serious and sometimes fatal damage to the heart and other organs.ii In the United States alone, the National Institutes of Health report that more than three million people are afflicted with the debilitating condition.iii

Although easy to diagnose, anemia frequently remains undetected because it is masked by the symptoms of the diseases with which it is associated, including chronic kidney disease (CKD), cancer, diabetes, cardiovascular disease, HIV/AIDS, rheumatoid arthritis, and inflammatory bowel disease.iv The most common measure to determine if a person has anemia is a simple blood test, also known as a complete blood count (CBC), to measure hemoglobin levels. The normal range of hemoglobin for the general population is 11 to 15 g/dL.v

Renal Disease

According to the National Kidney Foundation, 26 million Americans – 1 in 9 U.S. adults – have CKD. Anemia can develop in the early stages of CKD and worsens as patients progress towards total kidney failure and need a dialysis machine to eliminate waste and fluids from their blood. Benefits of anemia correction in patients with CKD include decreased morbidity, hospitalization, and mortality.vi

Treatment

People with CKD have been able to treat their anemia with erythropoiesis-stimulating agents (ESAs), an artificial version of a natural protein (erythropoietin, also known as EPO) produced by the kidney to stimulate the production of new red blood cells.

ESA therapy has dramatically reduced the need for blood transfusions and the frequency and severity of anemia-associated morbidity. Since becoming available in 1989, ESAs have been used successfully to manage anemia associated with CKD.