Treatment of anemia in people with chronic kidney failure

The article is professionally consulted by Master, Doctor Nguyen Thi Thanh Thuy - Endocrinologist - Dialysis - Kidney Transplant - Department of Examination & Internal Medicine - Vinmec Central Park International General Hospital.

When part of the kidney function is lost forever, the patient's body becomes anemic. The more severe the degree of renal failure, the more anemia, therefore, anemia treatment in chronic kidney failure is also one of the measures to combine conservative treatment.

In a normal human body, the kidney is an important organ in regulating the production of erythropoietin (a hormone that stimulates the production of red blood cells according to the feed-back mechanism) in response to the oxygen concentration supplied to the organization. Erythropoietin will stimulate the bone marrow to produce red blood cells to target red blood cell differentiation.
However, if the body is deficient in erythropoietin, the red blood cells will not be able to continue to differentiate, so people with chronic kidney failure often become anemic. To put it simply, when a patient's kidney function is partially lost forever, anemia will be produced, which can begin in the first stage of kidney failure and progress gradually. with the severity of chronic renal failure.

People with chronic kidney disease will damage the kidneys and not be able to make enough bone marrow stimulant for hematopoiesis (EPO), as a result, the bone marrow will produce less red blood cells and cause anemia. .
The main cause of anemia in people with kidney disease can include blood loss from hemodialysis and a decrease in the amount of nutrients such as iron, vitamin B12, folic acid ... found in food. daily use.
In addition, anemia in chronic kidney failure can also be caused by a number of reasons such as:
Other problems related to the patient's bone marrow; Patients have inflammatory problems such as arthritis, inflammatory bowel disease ... in which the body's immune system will attack cells and organs in the patient's body.

Patients with chronic infections; Malnutrition .

Anemia in chronic kidney failure has very clear and recognizable clinical manifestations, specifically:
The body is visibly weakened, always feeling tired; Headaches and decreased concentration; Dizziness, pale skin; Shortness of breath or loss of breath; Chest pain; Abnormally fast heart rate.

The doctor will base on the patient's medical history to diagnose the condition and cause of anemia. In addition to the clinical examination, the entity may conduct a number of necessary tests such as a blood test (which helps diagnose anemia most accurately), a blood loss test in the stool to be able to find the cause. other causes of anemia in chronic renal failure.

Based on the mechanism of anemia in chronic kidney failure, the doctor can assign the patient to the most suitable treatment regimen.
Iron supplement: Can be used orally or intravenously (rarely used): Using drugs to stimulate erythropoiesis (currently available in injection form, oral form is available in foreign markets). The drug helps people with chronic kidney failure minimize the risk of blood transfusion. Transfusion of red blood cells when the patient has acute blood loss or severe chronic anemia with an indication for blood transfusion. Use caution in patients awaiting kidney transplantation.

In summary, anemia in chronic kidney failure not only makes the patient's health deteriorate, always in a state of fatigue, but also increases the risk of complications into other diseases such as heart failure, stroke, and heart failure. death...
Therefore, when being diagnosed with anemia, chronic kidney failure patients need to absolutely follow the doctor's treatment instructions and can be combined with a nutritious diet, increase Blood-tonic foods and regular rest can help improve the condition of the disease and improve the effectiveness of treatment.
Master. Doctor. Nguyen Thi Thanh Thuy is a nephrologist with more than 15 years of experience in diagnosing and treating medical kidney disease, hemodialysis, peritoneal dialysis, pre-transplant screening and post-transplant monitoring. Currently, Dr. Thuy is working at the Department of General Internal Medicine - Vinmec Central Park International General Hospital.