Anaemia characteristic in end stage renal disease patients receiving haemodialysis at King Salman armed forced hospital in Tabuk, Saudi Arabia

BackgroundChronic kidney disease (CKD) is a disease associated with high rate of morbidity and mortality mainly due to cardiovascular disease. Anaemia is the most common haematological abnormality in end stage renal disease.AimsThe current Study aimed to determine the laboratory characteristic and management of anaemia among haemodialysis patients.Methods A cross sectional study conducted among 112 adult patients with the diagnosis of end stage renal disease (ESRD) on haemodialysis at King Salman Armed Forced Hospital in Tabuk, Saudi Arabia, data were collected by a pre-tested data collection sheet.Results There were 112 patients with a mean age of 43 years. The mean haemoglobin value was 10.5g/dL, which was lower than the target haemoglobin range recommended by Kidney Disease Outcomes Quality Initiative (KDOQI). Twenty- eight patients (25 per cent) had haemoglobin values between 11.0 and 12.0g/dL. Only seven patients (6.3 per cent) exceeded the recommended range (>12g/dL) and seventy- seven (68.7 per cent) had less than recommended range. The majority of patients had been receiving haemodialysis for two or more years. The most common primary cause of end stage renal failure was diabetic nephropathy. Hypertension was the most common co-morbidity, followed by diabetes, and ischemic heart disease.ConclusionPatients with end stage renal disease at a high risk for anaemia which should be investigated for correctable causes such as Iron-deficiency before initiating erythropoietin replacement therapy