Management of anaemia in chronic kidney disease: summary of updated NICE guidance

#### The bottom line #### How patients were involved in the creation of this article Lay members of the Guideline Development Group involved in this guideline update contributed to the formulation of the recommendations summarised here. Patient organisations were among the registered stakeholders who were consulted at both scoping and development stages. About 5% of the population of the United States and United Kingdom have stages 3-5 chronic kidney disease (CKD; estimated glomerular filtration rate (eGFR) <60 mL/min/1.73 m2),1 2 and about 15% of these people have anaemia according to World Health Organization criteria.2 Overall more than 100 000 people in the UK have anaemia of CKD.3 Anaemia of CKD develops as renal disease progresses, and it is mainly caused by erythropoietin deficiency; other contributory factors include deficiency of iron, folate, or vitamin B12; blood loss; and infection or inflammation. This article summarises 2006 and 2011 guidance from the National Institute for Health and Care Excellence (NICE) on the management of anaemia of CKD,3 4 and it also highlights key points of the 2015 update.5 NICE recommendations are based on systematic reviews of best available evidence and explicit consideration of cost effectiveness. When minimal evidence is available, recommendations are based on the Guideline Development Group’s experience …