African-American children with mild to moderate kidney disease have worse anemia than their white counterparts, report researchers from the Johns Hopkins Children's Center in what is believed to be the first study of anemia among children with milder forms of the disease. Anemia, defined as abnormally low levels of red blood cells, is a key indicator of kidney disease status. Left untreated, prolonged anemia can affect quality of life, speed disease progression and eventually lead to heart problems.

"We've known for some time that racial disparities in anemia exist among adults and children with severe kidney disease, but it was interesting to find racial gaps in anemia, even in children who are still in the early stages of the disease," said lead investigator Meredith Atkinson, an assistant professor of pediatrics.

Of the 359 children with chronic kidney disease enrolled in the Johns Hopkins-led study, more than half (52 percent) of the black children had anemia, compared to 40 percent of white children. All children in the study were under the care of a pediatric nephrologist, and some were already receiving medication promoting the production of red blood cells.

The investigators say that the findings should be a red flag to pediatricians that they should screen black patients aggressively, even if they are in the early stages of the disease and even if they are already receiving anemia treatment.

GO TO JULY 7, 2008 TABLE OF CONTENTS.
GO TO THE GAZETTE FRONT PAGE.