Is the anemis of CKD always due to erythropoietin

摘要

At what stage of kidney insufficiency does low erythropoietin cause anemia? Does kidney failure need to be present? How can you tell if the anemia is secondary to low erythropoietin or something else? Can an erythropoetic agent such as epoetin alfa (Epogen - Amgen) be given empirically if you are not sure? A.Historically, we know that anemia generally develops in the later stages of chronic kidney disease (CKD) in dogs and cats when azotemia is present. The term chronic kidney insufficiency is used for veterinary patients that have persistently isosthe-nuric urine but no overt azotemia, and I would not typically expect these patients erythropoietin measurement.