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Anemia - CKD

Anemia - CKD is a rare hematologic condition affecting blood cells or coagulation, with risks of anemia, bleeding, thrombosis, or marrow dysfunction

Prevalence

Uknown

US Estimated

Uknown

Europe Estimated

Age of Onset

All ages

ICD-10

D63.1

Inheritance Pattern

Autosomal dominant

Autosomal recessive

Mitochondrial/Multigenic

X-linked dominant

X-linked recessive

5 Facts you should know

FACT

1

Anemia commonly occurs in Chronic Kidney Disease (CKD) due to decreased erythropoietin production and impaired red blood cell function

FACT

2

Diagnosis involves assessing hemoglobin levels and determining the underlying cause, often through additional tests like iron studies and bone marrow examination

FACT

3

Treatment options for anemia in CKD include erythropoiesis-stimulating agents (ESAs), iron supplementation, and, in some cases, blood transfusions

FACT

4

Anemia in CKD is primarily caused by decreased production of erythropoietin by the kidneys, coupled with iron deficiency and shortened red blood cell lifespan

FACT

5

Prognosis and management of anemia in CKD depend on its severity and the underlying kidney disease, aiming to alleviate symptoms and improve overall quality of life

Interest over time

Google searches

Anemia - CKD is also known as...

Anemia - CKD is also known as:

  •  Renal anemia
  • Anemia due to CKD

What’s your Rare IQ?

Which hormone, predominantly produced by the kidneys, plays a pivotal role in regulating erythropoiesis and is commonly deficient in chronic kidney disease-related anemia?

Test yourself

Common signs & symptoms

Often insidious; correlate with Hb level and comorbidity burden

Fatigue, reduced exercise tolerance, dyspnea on exertion

Palpitations, tachycardia; worsening angina/heart failure symptoms

Pallor; dizziness; headaches; cognitive fog

Lab pattern: normocytic or mildly microcytic anemia; iron studies may show absolute or functional iron deficiency; inflammatory markers may be elevated

Current treatments

Treat reversible causes first (iron deficiency, bleeding, inflammation, B12/folate, hemolysis) per KDIGO approach

Iron therapy (oral or IV depending on severity, tolerance, and dialysis status)

ESAs (epoetin alfa, darbepoetin alfa, etc.)—use lowest effective dose; individualized Hb targets

HIF-PH inhibitors (US approvals are dialysis-focused)

  • Daprodustat (Jesduvroq; GSK) for adults on dialysis ≥4 months 
  • Vadadustat (Vafseo; Akebia) for adults on dialysis (FDA approval 2024)

RBC transfusion when clinically necessary (symptoms, severe anemia, ESA nonresponse, urgent pre-op, etc.)

References:

  1. KDIGO. KDIGO 2025/2026 Clinical Practice Guideline for Anemia in CKD (guideline documents).
  2. FDA. JESDUVROQ (daprodustat) Prescribing Information. 2023.
  3. FDA. VAFSEO (vadadustat) Prescribing Information. 2024.
See full disease profile