Hypoxia-Inducible Factor Stabilizers in End Stage Kidney Disease: "Can the Promise Be Kept?".
Study Goal
The researchers aimed to evaluate the effectiveness and safety of Erythropoiesis-Stimulating Agents (ESAs) in treating anemia in chronic kidney disease (CKD) patients, comparing them with emerging alternatives like HIF-PHIs.
Results Summary
ESAs, combined with iron supplementation, effectively reduce transfusion dependence and achieve optimal hemoglobin levels in CKD patients, but there is no evidence they reduce cardiovascular risks. Intravenous iron supplementation increases risks of allergic reactions, infections, and cardiovascular events. HIF-PHIs show comparable efficacy to ESAs in trials.
Population
Chronic kidney disease (CKD) patients, both dialysis and non-dialysis.
Effective Dosage
Not specified
Duration
Not specified
Interactions
None mentioned
| Intervention | Direction | Endpoint | Population | Dosage | Impact | Claim # |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
administration of injectable preparations of recombinant erythropoiesis-stimulating agents (ESAs), especially epoetin and darbepoetin, coupled with oral or intravenous(iv) iron supplementation | decrease | patients' dependence on transfusion | dialysis and non-dialysis patients with anemia in CKD | - | reduces | #1 |
administration of injectable preparations of recombinant erythropoiesis-stimulating agents (ESAs), especially epoetin and darbepoetin, coupled with oral or intravenous(iv) iron supplementation | increase | optimal hemoglobin target levels | dialysis and non-dialysis patients with anemia in CKD | - | ensuring the achievement of | #2 |
treating anemia with ESAs | no change | risk of cardiovascular events | - | - | no evidence that... can significantly reduce | #3 |
iv iron supplementation | increase | allergic reactions | - | - | causes an increased risk of | #4 |
iv iron supplementation | increase | gastrointestinal side effects | - | - | causes an increased risk of | #5 |
iv iron supplementation | increase | infection | - | - | causes an increased risk of | #6 |
iv iron supplementation | increase | cardiovascular events | - | - | causes an increased risk of | #7 |
prolyl hydroxylase inhibitors (PHIs) | increase | hypoxia-inducible factor (HIF) | - | - | acts to stabilize | #8 |
HIF-PHIs | no change | ESAs | - | - | are almost comparable to | #9 |
Anemia is a common complication of chronic kidney disease (CKD). The prevalence of anemia in CKD strongly increases as the estimated Glomerular Filtration Rate (eGFR) decreases. The pathophysiology of anemia in CKD is complex. The main causes are erythropoietin (EPO) deficiency and functional iron deficiency (FID). The administration of injectable preparations of recombinant erythropoiesis-stimulating agents (ESAs), especially epoetin and darbepoetin, coupled with oral or intravenous(iv) iron supplementation, is the current treatment for anemia in CKD for both dialysis and non-dialysis patients. This approach reduces patients' dependence on transfusion, ensuring the achievement of optimal hemoglobin target levels. However, there is still no evidence that treating anemia with ESAs can significantly reduce the risk of cardiovascular events. Meanwhile, iv iron supplementation causes an increased risk of allergic reactions, gastrointestinal side effects, infection, and cardiovascular events. Currently, there are no studies defining the best strategy for using ESAs to minimize possible risks. One class of agents under evaluation, known as prolyl hydroxylase inhibitors (PHIs), acts to stabilize hypoxia-inducible factor (HIF) by inhibiting prolyl hydroxylase (PH) enzymes. Several randomized controlled trials showed that HIF-PHIs are almost comparable to ESAs. In the era of personalized medicine, it is possible to envisage and investigate specific contexts of the application of HIF stabilizers based on the individual risk profile and mechanism of action.