Chronic Kidney Disease—Anemia

Also called: Iron poor blood

If you have anemia, your blood does not carry enough oxygen to the rest of your body. The most common cause of anemia is not having enough iron. Your body needs iron to make hemoglobin. Hemoglobin is an iron-rich protein that gives the red color to blood. It carries oxygen from the lungs to the rest of the body.

Anemia has three main causes: blood loss, lack of red blood cell production, and high rates of red blood cell destruction.

Conditions that may lead to anemia include

• Heavy periods
• Pregnancy
• Ulcers
• Colon polyps or colon cancer
• Inherited disorders
• A diet that does not have enough iron, folic acid or vitamin B12
• Blood disorders such as sickle cell anemia and thalassemia, or cancer
• Aplastic anemia, a condition that can be inherited or acquired
• G6PD deficiency, a metabolic disorder

Anemia can make you feel tired, cold, dizzy, and irritable. You may be short of breath or have a headache.

Your doctor will diagnose anemia with a physical exam and blood tests. Treatment depends on the kind of anemia you have.

NIH: National Heart, Lung, and Blood Institute

• Anemia (Medical Encyclopedia)
• Anemia – B12 deficiency (Medical Encyclopedia)
• Anemia caused by low iron — infants and toddlers (Medical Encyclopedia)
• Anemia of chronic disease (Medical Encyclopedia)
• Anemia of Inflammation and Chronic Disease – NIH
• Febrile/cold agglutinins (Medical Encyclopedia)
• Ferritin blood test (Medical Encyclopedia)
• Hemolytic anemia (Medical Encyclopedia)
• Iron deficiency anemia (Medical Encyclopedia)
• Pernicious anemia (Medical Encyclopedia)
• Vitamin B12 level (Medical Encyclopedia)

Also called: CKD

You have two kidneys, each about the size of your fist. Their main job is to filter your blood. They remove wastes and extra water, which become urine. They also keep the body’s chemicals balanced, help control blood pressure, and make hormones.

Chronic kidney disease (CKD) means that your kidneys are damaged and can’t filter blood as they should. This damage can cause wastes to build up in your body. It can also cause other problems that can harm your health. Diabetes and high blood pressure are the most common causes of CKD.

The kidney damage occurs slowly over many years. Many people don’t have any symptoms until their kidney disease is very advanced. Blood and urine tests are the only way to know if you have kidney disease.

Treatments cannot cure kidney disease, but they may slow kidney disease. They include medicines to lower blood pressure, control blood sugar, and lower cholesterol. CKD may still get worse over time. Sometimes it can lead to kidney failure. If your kidneys fail, you will need dialysis or a kidney transplantation.

You can take steps to keep your kidneys healthier longer:

• Choose foods with less salt (sodium)
• Control your blood pressure; your health care provider can tell you what your blood pressure should be
• Keep your blood sugar in the target range, if you have diabetes
• Limit the amount of alcohol you drink
• Choose foods that are healthy for your heart: fruits, vegetables, whole grains, and low-fat dairy foods
• Lose weight if you are overweight
• Be physically active
• Don’t smoke

NIH: National Institute of Diabetes and Digestive and Kidney Diseases

• ACE inhibitors (Medical Encyclopedia)
• Chronic kidney disease (Medical Encyclopedia)
• High Blood Pressure (American Kidney Fund)