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Patients with chronic renal failure and end-stage renal disease (ESRD) develop anemia, which usually responds to erythropoiesis-stimulating agents (ESAs). However, use of ESAs remains controversial because of safety issues that have arisen when these agents are used to treat patients with mild (rather than severe) anemia or when such treatment elevates hemoglobin levels too quickly or to within normal limits (JW Oncol Hematol Dec 11 2006).
To address issues associated with anemia correction in patients with ESRD, investigators from academia and industry analyzed data from nearly 270,000 patients who received treatment at 4500 hemodialysis units. Estimated dosing of ESAs and intravenous iron was stratified within four hematocrit categories: <…