Kawamura T, et al. - Patients with antineutrophil cytoplasmic antibody (ANCA)-associated renal vasculitis were assessed in this study, to determine the prevalence, cause, pathogenesis and prognostic significance of anaemia in this disease entity. Anaemia was present in all study participants. Renal anaemia, not anaemia of chronic disease (ACD), was documented as the most prevalent form of anaemia. The interaction between renal anaemia and ACD was suggested as a potential reason for the high prevalence of anaemia in this study cohort. Notably, data showed a significant association of anaemia severity with the degree of renal dysfunction and life prognosis.

Methods

• In a total of 45 patients with ANCA-associated renal vasculitis that were clinically and/or histologically diagnosed and treated from 2003 to 2014 at University of Tsukuba Hospital, researchers assessed the links between anaemia and various clinicopathological findings.

Results

• Findings demonstrated that anaemia was present in all patients, with a mean haemoglobin level of 7.5 ± 1.3 g/dL, at the time of diagnosis of ANCA-associated renal vasculitis.
• Data reported that 92% of patients had renal anaemia, while 56% and 20% of patients had anaemia of chronic disease (ACD) and anaemia due to hemorrhage, respectively.
• According to anaemia severity, the patients were divided as follows: minimum haemoglobin (min Hb) < 7.5 (n = 24) and min Hb ≥7.5 (n = 21).
• When baseline characteristics were compared, it was found that serum albumin, maximum serum creatinine, minimum estimated glomerular filtration rate (eGFR), serum cystatin C, and the area of tubulointerstitial damage were significantly different between the haemoglobin groups (p < 0.05).
• Researchers did not observe any significant intergroup differences in iron-related or inflammation-related data.
• Furthermore, regarding the link between anaemia severity and prognosis, patients in the min Hb < 7.5 group tended to have a lower eGFR.
• Results indicated an association of anaemia severity with markedly lower survival (Log-rank test, p=0.03).