Prevalence and management of anaemia in renal transplant recipients: data from ten European centres.
BACKGROUND
Although it is a known predictor of mortality, there is a relative lack of recent information about anaemia in kidney transplant recipients. Thus, we now report data about the prevalence and management of post-transplant anaemia (PTA) in Europe 5 years after the TRansplant European Survey on Anemia Management (TRESAM) study.


METHODS
In a cross-sectional study enrolling the largest number of patients to date, data were obtained from 5,834 patients followed at 10 outpatient transplant clinics in four European countries using the American Society of Transplantation anaemia guideline.


RESULTS
More than one third (42%) of the patients were anaemic. The haemoglobin (Hb) concentration was significantly correlated with the estimated glomerular filtration rate (eGFR) (r = 0.4, p < 0.001). In multivariate analysis, eGFR, serum ferritin, age, gender, time since transplantation and centres were independently and significantly associated with Hb. Only 24% of the patients who had a Hb concentration <110 g/l were treated with an erythropoiesis-stimulating agent. The prevalence of anaemia and also the use of erythropoiesis-stimulating agents were significantly different across the different centres, suggesting substantial practice variations.


CONCLUSIONS
PTA is still common and under-treated. The prevalence and management of PTA have not changed substantially since the TRESAM survey.
Molnar
Miklos Zsolt
MZ
Department of Transplantation and Surgery, Semmelweis University, Budapest, Hungary.
Mucsi
Istvan
I
Macdougall
Iain C
IC
Marsh
James E
JE
Yaqoob
Magdi
M
Main
John
J
Courtney
Aisling E
AE
Fogarty
Damien
D
Mikhail
Ashraf
A
Choukroun
Gabriel
G
Short
Colin D
CD
Covic
Adrian
A
Goldsmith
David J
DJ
D000740:Anemia / Q000401:mortality* / Q000517:prevention & control*; D015897:Comorbidity; D005060:Europe / Q000453:epidemiology; D005260:Female; D006801:Humans; D007676:Kidney Failure, Chronic / Q000401:mortality* / Q000534:rehabilitation*; D016030:Kidney Transplantation / Q000401:mortality*; D008297:Male; D008875:Middle Aged; D015995:Prevalence; D018570:Risk Assessment; D012307:Risk Factors; D016019:Survival Analysis; D015996:Survival Rate; D016896:Treatment Outcome