The Effect of Erythropoietin-Stimulating Agents on Health-Related Quality of Life in Anemia of Chronic Kidney Disease: A Systematic Review and Meta-analysis.

BACKGROUND

The efficacy of erythropoietin-stimulating agents (ESAs) for improving health-related quality of life (HRQOL) in anemia of chronic kidney disease (CKD) is unclear.

PURPOSE: To determine the effect of ESAs on HRQOL at different hemoglobin targets in adults with CKD who were receiving or not receiving dialysis.

DATA SOURCES: Searches of PubMed, EMBASE, the Cochrane Library, and ClinicalTrials.gov from inception to 1 November 2015, supplemented with manual screening.

STUDY SELECTION: Randomized, controlled trials that evaluated the treatment of anemia with ESAs, including erythropoietin and darbepoetin, targeted higher versus lower hemoglobin levels, and used validated HRQOL metrics.

DATA EXTRACTION: Study characteristics, quality, and data were assessed independently by 2 reviewers. Outcome measures were scores on the Short Form-36 Health Survey (SF-36), Kidney Dialysis Questionnaire (KDQ), and other tools.

DATA SYNTHESIS: Of 17 eligible studies, 13 reported SF-36 outcomes and 4 reported KDQ outcomes. Study populations consisted of patients not undergoing dialysis (n = 12), those undergoing dialysis (n = 4), or a mixed sample (n = 1). Only 4 studies had low risk of bias. Pooled analyses showed that higher hemoglobin targets resulted in no statistically or clinically significant differences in SF-36 or KDQ domains. Differences in HRQOL were further attenuated in studies at low risk of bias and in subgroups of dialysis recipients.

LIMITATION: Statistically significant heterogeneity among studies, few good-quality studies, and possible publication bias.

CONCLUSION

ESA treatment of anemia to obtain higher hemoglobin targets does not result in important differences in HRQOL in patients with CKD.

PRIMARY FUNDING SOURCE: KRESCENT and Manitoba Health Research Council Establishment.