Anemia is one of the most common complications during chronic kidney disease (CKD) and results from a progressive lack of erythropoietin (EPO). EPO plays a major role in erythropoiesis by inducing differentiation and proliferation of erythrocyte precursors and is synthesized for about 90% by the kidney and 10% by the liver. In recent meta-analyses including 17 CKD cohorts and 209 311 individuals, 41% of patients were affected by anemia [1,2]. Anemia usually appears at CKD stage 3 and its magnitude is correlated with the decrease in glomerular filtration rate (GFR) [3].
