Predicting Responsiveness to Erythropoiesis-Stimulating Agents

Although erythropoiesis-stimulating agents (ESAs) can manage the anemia associated with chronic kidney disease successfully, some patients are hyporesponsive to the drugs. Their hyporesponsiveness can lead to very high—and, therefore, potentially ineffective or dangerous—ESA doses, and it may contribute to hemoglobin variability and have an association with increased mortality. Identifying predictors of ESA hyporesponsiveness, therefore, “may help improve anemia management and reduce hemoglobin level variability,” say researchers from Harbor–University of California, Los Angeles (UCLA) Medical Center, Torrance; UCLA School of Public Health; DaVita Inc, El Segundo, CA; and Salem VA Medical Center, Salem, VA.