Effects of Erythropoietin-Stimulating Agents on Blood Pressure in Patients with Non-Dialysis CKD and Renal Anemia

Introduction: Erythropoietin-stimulating agents (ESAs) are used to treat renal anemia in patients with non-dialysis CKD, but this can lead to increases in blood pressure (BP). Objective: We investigated the effects of continuous erythropoietin receptor activator (CERA) and darbepoetin alfa (DA) on office/ambulatory BP in 36 patients with non-dialysis CKD and renal anemia who did not receive ESA treatment. Methods: Participants were randomly assigned to CERA or DA, and received ESA treatment for 24 weeks. ESA doses were adjusted to maintain hemoglobin (Hb) at 10–12 g/dL. Primary outcomes were office/ambulatory BP after 24 weeks of ESA treatment. Hb levels were within the target range at 24 weeks. Results: Office/ambulatory BP, renal function, and other parameters were not significantly different between groups. However, we could not exclude the possibility that differences may exist because our sample size was small. Therefore, we also performed analysis of all of the data that were compiled from the groups of per-protocol population. Although office/ambulatory BP profiles had not worsened after 24 weeks of ESA treatment, more than half of the patients required an increase in the antihypertensive agent dose. Conclusions: CERA and DA may have similar effects on BP profiles in patients with non-dialysis CKD and renal anemia. ESA treatment often requires increases in the doses of antihypertensive agents.