Predialysis Survey on Anemia Management: patient referral.
BACKGROUND
The Predialysis Survey on Anemia Management was designed to assess the care given to predialysis patients within 3 months of the start of hemodialysis or peritoneal dialysis (PD) therapy. In this presentation, we focus on demographic data and patient referral practices of patients who enter kidney centers.


METHODS
We conducted a retrospective chart review of patients who had started hemodialysis or PD therapy between August 1999 and April 2000. All patients (age, 16 to 99 years) who entered 1 of the 779 centers in 21 European countries, Israel, or South Africa were included, except those for whom dialysis therapy was only started during an acute episode. Demographic characteristics, referral to kidney centers, comorbidities, drug treatments, major clinical events, and use of epoetin were documented.


RESULTS
Mean creatinine clearance rate at the first visit to the kidney center was 18.2 mL/min (0.303 mL/s). Of all patients, greater than 35% had a creatinine clearance less than 10.0 mL/min (<0.167 mL/s) at their first visit. Overall, 87% of patients were initiated on hemodialysis therapy, and 13% were started on PD therapy. PD was used more often the longer a patient was under the care of a nephrologist. Of 4,333 new dialysis patients, 68% had a hemoglobin concentration of 11.0 g/dL or less (< or =110 g/L) at the first visit.


CONCLUSIONS
The majority of patients in the survey had been under the care of a nephrologist for more than 12 months before the start of dialysis therapy. Nevertheless, most of these patients were anemic, and only a minority were on epoetin treatment.
Hörl
Walter H
WH
Klinische Abteilung für Nephrologie und Dialyse, Universitätsklinik für Innere Medizin III, Wien, Austria. walter.hoerl@nephro.imed3.akh-wien.ac.at
Macdougall
Iain C
IC
Rossert
Jérôme
J
Rutkowski
Boleslaw
B
Wauters
Jean-Pierre
JP
Valderrábano
Fernando
F
D000293:Adolescent; D000328:Adult; D000368:Aged; D000369:Aged, 80 and over; D000740:Anemia / Q000453:epidemiology / Q000628:therapy*; D002908:Chronic Disease; D000068817:Epoetin Alfa; D004921:Erythropoietin / Q000627:therapeutic use; D005062:European Union; D005260:Female; D019538:Health Care Surveys; D006454:Hemoglobins / Q000378:metabolism; D006801:Humans; D007674:Kidney Diseases / Q000150:complications / Q000188:drug therapy / Q000628:therapy; D008297:Male; D008875:Middle Aged; D010530:Peritoneal Dialysis / Q000379:methods; D017410:Practice Guidelines as Topic; D011994:Recombinant Proteins; D012017:Referral and Consultation; D006435:Renal Dialysis / Q000379:methods*; D012189:Retrospective Studies
D006454:Hemoglobins; D011994:Recombinant Proteins; D004921:Erythropoietin; D000068817:Epoetin Alfa