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Iron management in renal failure patients--how do we achieve the best results?
1Department of Medicine D, University of Muenster, Germany
The majority of patients with renal insufficiency suffer from a normochromic, normocytic anaemia. This renal anaemia affects the quality of life of these patients and reduces their chance of survival. Despite the availability of recombinant human erythropoetin for the treatment of renal anaemia, many patients do not achieve the target haemoglobin concentration of more than 11 g/dl. A major factor contributing to suboptimal correction of renal anaemia and reduced responsiveness to epoetin is a lack of iron availability to the stimulated erythropoesis.Thus, forthe majority of patients with renal insufficiency intravenous iron therapy will be the treatment of choice to replete and maintain adequate iron stores.
The majority of patients with renal insufficiency suffer from a normochromic, normocytic anaemia. This renal anaemia affects the quality of life of these patients and reduces their chance of survival. Despite the availability of recombinant human erythropoetin for the treatment of renal anaemia, many patients do not achieve the target haemoglobin concentration of more than 11 g/dl. A major factor contributing to suboptimal correction of renal anaemia and reduced responsiveness to epoetin is a lack of iron availability to the stimulated erythropoesis.Thus, forthe majority of patients with renal insufficiency intravenous iron therapy will be the treatment of choice to replete and maintain adequate iron stores.