Management of anemia in patients with chronic kidney disease

Anemia is a frequent complication of patients with chronic kidney disease (CKD). Anemia is defined as a hemoglobin level <11.5 g/dl in women and <13.5 g/dl in adult men (in elderly men <12.5 g/dl). Many factors contribute to renal anemia, such as erythropoietin deficiency, iron deficiency and/or medication. The development of anemia is often complicated by the co-morbidity of the patients, such as diabetes, hypertension, severe heart failure, neoplasia or inflammation.