Anaemia in diabetic renal failure: is there a role for early erythropoietin treatment in preventing cardiovascular mortality?

Anemia in patients of diabetic kidney disease

Anemia is the major complication resulting from chronic kidney disease (CKD) and also a risk factor for cardiovascular events and a poor quality of life (QoL). Diabetic kidney disease (DKD) is the major cause of CKD. Initially, insulin resistance has been reported to increase erythropoiesis, but it might be a minor issue. DKD-related anemia developed earlier and was more severe than non-DKD-related anemia based on more complicated mechanisms, including greater bleeding tendency associated with antiplatelet effect, less O2 sensing due to autonomic neuropathy or renin-angiotensin-aldosterone system inhibitor use, inhibitory effect of inflammatory cytokines, urinary loss of erythropoietin (EPO), and poor response to EPO. In DKD patients, prompt correction of anemia allows for a better cardiovascular outcome and QoL, which are similar to the promising effect of anemia correction in CKD patients. However, current evidence recommended that the avoidance of a high or normalized hemoglobin (Hb) level has been suggested in the treatment of anemia in DKD patients. Despite that EPO has a pleotropic effect on renal protection from animal studies, the renal benefit was less evident in CKD and DKD patients. Recently, the antidiabetic agent, sodium glucose cotransporter-2 inhibitors (SGLT2i), has been reported to exhibit the renal benefits due to the tubulo-glomerular feedback in addition to sugar control. It may also be due to less renal ischemic through higher EPO levels, followed by higher Hb levels. More studies are needed to clarify the link between the renal benefit of SGLT2i and EPO production.

Management of anemia in patients with diabetic kidney disease: A consensus statement

This consensus statement focuses on the window of opportunity, which exists while treating patients with diabetic kidney disease and anemia.

[Erythropoietin use by incident hemodialysis patients in the Brazilian Unified National Health System, 2002-2003]

This study aimed to describe the demographic and epidemiological profile of Brazilian patients entering hemodialysis from 2002 to 2003 and identify predictors of erythropoietin use. The study analyzed demographic and clinical characteristics and dialysis facility-related variables from 32,136 patients identified by deterministic-probabilistic matching in the database of authorizations for high-cost procedures and the Mortality Information System. Poisson regression was used to identify predictors of erythropoietin use. Male gender, age < 65 years, diabetic renal failure, arteriovenous fistula at the beginning of hemodialysis, and living in States of Brazil other than Mato Grosso were predictors of erythropoietin use. The policy of care for chronic kidney disease, resource allocation for States and municipalities, and anemia management according to the patient's drug therapy profile need to be revised in order to reduce observed inequities in erythropoietin use.

Clinical outcome and risk factors for mortality in Chinese patients with diabetes on peritoneal dialysis: a 5-year clinical cohort study

AIMS

We evaluated clinical outcome and risk factors affecting survival in patients with diabetes on continuous ambulatory peritoneal dialysis (CAPD) in Southern China.

METHODS

This longitudinal cohort study enrolled all incident patients who used CAPD as their first renal replacement therapy modality in our center from January 2006 to December 2009 and who were followed until December 2011. Clinical outcomes were compared and risk factors for mortality in patients with diabetes were analyzed.

RESULTS

Of 809 incident CAPD patients, 189 (23.4%) had diabetes. Death-censored technique survival showed no significant difference between patients with and without diabetes (p=0.271). The 1-, 2-, 3- and 5-year patient survival rates were 90%, 72%, 63% and 36% in patients with diabetes and 95%, 92%, 87% and 73% in patients without diabetes, respectively (p=0.000). Presence of cardiovascular disease (CVD) [hazard ratio (HR) 2.130, 95% confidence interval (CI) 1.199-3.786, p=0.010], advanced age (HR 1.042, 95% CI 1.008-1.078, p=0.014), higher glycated hemoglobin (HR 1.309, 95% CI 1.045-1.640, p=0.019), lower hemoglobin (HR 0.978, 95% CI 0.964-0.992, p=0.003) and lower serum albumin (HR 0.924, 95% CI 0.876-0.976, p=0.004) at the initiation of CAPD were independent risk factors of mortality in CAPD patients with diabetes.

CONCLUSIONS

Technique survival in CAPD patients with diabetes was similar to those without diabetes. Although patients with diabetes had higher risk of mortality, the patient survival in our study seems to be improved compared with most other reports. Older age, presence of CVD, hyperglycemia, anemia and hypoalbuminemia at the commencement of CAPD affected survival in patients with diabetes.

Spatial analysis to locate new clinics for diabetic kidney patients in the underserved communities in Alberta

BACKGROUND

Canadians with chronic diseases often live far away from healthcare facilities, which may compromise their level of care. We used a new method for selecting optimal locations for new healthcare facilities in remote regions.

METHODS

We used a provincial laboratory database linked to data from the provincial health ministry. From all patients with serum creatinine measured at least once between 2002 and 2008 in Alberta, Canada, we selected those with diabetes and an estimated glomerular filtration rate (eGFR) of 15-60 mL/min/1.73 m(2). We then used two methods to select potential locations for new clinics that would serve the greatest number of remote-dwelling patients: plots showing the unadjusted density of such patients per 100 km(2) and SatScan analysis presenting the prevalent clusters of patients on the basis of chronic kidney disease (CKD) rates (adjusted for population size).

RESULTS

We studied 32,278 patients with concomitant diabetes and CKD. A substantial number of patients (8%) resided >200 km from existing nephrologists' clinics. Density plots mapped with ArcGIS were useful for localizing a large cluster of underserved patients. However, objective assessment with SatScan technique and ArcGIS permitted us to detect additional clusters of patients in the northwest and southeast regions of Alberta--and suggested potential locations for new clinics in these areas.

CONCLUSIONS

Objective techniques such as SatScan can identify clusters of underserved patients with CKD and identify potential new facility locations for consideration by decision-makers. Our findings may also be applicable to patients with other chronic diseases.