CKD patients commonly have other medical conditions, such as coronary artery disease (CAD) and anemia. CAD is caused by plaques in the arteries of the heart, which reduces blood flow.  Anemia is a reduction of red blood cells (RBCs or erythrocytes) or hemoglobin in the blood that reduces the blood’s ability to carry oxygen. 

A study in the American Journal of Cardiology suggests that people with CKD and anemia have a worse recovery after non-surgical treatment of CAD.*

Effect of CKD and anemia on CAD treatment

A group of doctors and researchers from the University of Pittsburgh Medical Center evaluated how CKD and anemia affect the recovery of patients with CAD after a non-surgical procedure called percutaneous coronary intervention (PCI)—formerly known as “angioplasty with stent.” This procedure treats the narrowing of the heart’s coronary arteries. The group estimated the individual effect of CKD and combined effects of anemia and CKD on patient outcomes after PCI.

• A total of 10,756 patients with CAD who underwent PCI from 2010 to 2018 were included in the study.
• The results showed that patients with both CKD and anemia had lower survival and increased hospital readmission after PCI than patients with neither CKD nor anemia, or only one of these conditions.
• Patients with both CKD and anemia had the highest five-year mortality, while patients with neither condition had the lowest rate.
• Factored separately, patients with anemia alone had slightly higher mortality than patients with CKD alone. These rates, however, were significantly lower than in patients with both anemia and CKD.

Conclusion

The authors acknowledged that their analysis is likely limited by the potential for ignored factors that have influenced their results. Yet, they still concluded that “the large cohort of this study helps to support the validity of the findings.”

*Cilia, L.; Sharbaugh, M.; Marroquin, O.C.; et al. (2019, September 15). “Impact of Chronic Kidney Disease and Anemia on Outcomes After Percutaneous Coronary Revascularization.” American Journal of Cardiology.