Monday 23 November 2009

Anemia Drug May Raise Stroke Risk in Kidney Patients

We came across this report just recently. Obviously kidney patients need to be aware of this sort of potential problem.

The online news site US News - HealthDay covered, on 31st October 2009, a scientific study that suggests that use of the anemia drug Aranesp should be reserved for the most seriously ill of kidney patients. It claims that the drug appears to double the risk of a stoke in patients with diabetes and kidney disease, and yet it doesn't seem to improve the quality of their life. This is based on research published in the Oct. 30 online edition of the New England Journal of Medicine, by Dr. Marc A. Pfeffer, a professor of medicine in the cardiovascular division of Brigham and Women's Hospital in Boston