[ANEMIA IN CHRONIC KIDNEY DISEASE]

Renal anemia develops secondary to chronic kidney disease (CKD) and its incidence increases with the progression of CKD. The aim is to inform family physicians about the latest developments and ways of approaching the issue, in accordance with national guidelines. The PubMed and Cochrane systematic reviews databases were searched for the 1996-2015 period using the following key words: anemia, chronic renal failure, erythropoietin, and primary health care. In addition, all relevant articles and textbooks available were manually searched to suggest the following conclusions. The use of erythropoiesis-stimulating agents (ESA) slows down the progression of CKD, reduces the need for blood transfusions and improves the patient quality of life. Target hemoglobin (Hb) concentration to be permanently maintained is 110-120 g/L. Higher Hb levels are associated with higher mortality and major cardiovascular events in dialysis patients. Target hemoglobin level should be strictly individualized depending on CKD stage (both non-dialyzed and dialyzed population), age, other risks, initial and maintenance treatment. Early recognition and appropriate correction of anemia using ESA is of utmost importance in CKD patients. Systematic primary and secondary prevention measures along with education and professional implementation of national guidelines in daily work of family practitioners can improve medical care of patients with CKD.