ACHIEVING BEST PRACTICE

The aim of this retrospective study was to assess the prevalence and causes of anaemia in patients with diabetes and stage 3 chronic kidney disease (CKD). Details of patients (n=3,499) with stage 3 CKD were extracted from the renal database of a hospital in Birmingham, UK, which serves a multiethnic population. Of the 2,438 patients with diabetes and stage 3 CKD, haemoglobin (Hb) measurements were available for 1,086 patients, of whom 289 were anaemic. Anaemia was defined as Hb <11.0 g/dl and subnormal Hb was defined as Hb <11.5 g/dl in women and <13.0 g/dl in men. The prevalence of anaemia was 31 % among females and 21% among male patients. A ferritin level assessment had been undertaken in 34 of the 289 patients with anaemia (Hb <11.0 g/dl) and 23 of them showed iron deficiency (ferritin <100 µg/L). The prevalence of anaemia was higher in stage 3 CKD patients with diabetes (27%) than without diabetes (14%) and was 33 % in patients of South Asian descent (p<0.0001 vs. no diabetes). There is a high prevalence of anaemia in people with diabetes and stage 3 CKD, and thus screening for anaemia should be part of their routine management