Anaemia management prior to dialysis: cardiovascular and cost-benefit observations

Anaemia correction with recombinant human erythropoietin (rh-EPO, epoetin) in end-stage renal disease (ESRD) patients has been associated with improved survival and quality of life, as well as lower overall treatment costs. Few studies, however, have evaluated the benefits of epoetin treatment given to chronic kidney disease (CKD) patients during the pre-dialysis period. A retrospective study of 89 193 incident haemodialysis patients in the Medicare system (age > or =67 years) assessed consistency of epoetin treatment before the start of dialysis and the outcome of patients once they reached ESRD. Patients were grouped according to consistency of epoetin treatment based on the available months of treatment in the 2-year period before starting dialysis. Only 15.6% of patients in the study received any epoetin before the initiation of dialysis. Patients who received no or infrequent epoetin (i.e. received epoetin in <50% of possible months) had a significantly higher relative risk of cardiac disease and death than patients treated with epoetin more frequently. Patients who received no or infrequent epoetin also had significantly higher rates of hospitalization and overall treatment costs at the time of initial dialysis. These findings suggest that early epoetin treatment warrants further investigation in prospective, randomized studies. In summary, it is evident that the care of CKD patients can be improved. Evidence suggests that timely initiation of epoetin treatment to correct renal anaemia appears to be associated with improved survival of ESRD patients in the first year after start of dialysis and reduced costs of treatment.