HDR Gateway logo
HDR Gateway logo

Bookmarks

An instrumental variable analysis for investigating erythropoietin therapy for treating anaemia among haemodialysis patients

Safe People

Organisation name

University of Bristol

Safe Projects

Project ID

ILD3

Lay summary

People with kidney disease are often anaemic, which can reduce their quality of life, with symptoms of fatigue, dizziness, and shortness of breath. Anaemia is a state in which the quality and/or quantity of circulating red blood cells are below normal. The kidneys produce a substance called erythropoietin which stimulates the bone marrow to produce red blood cells. Loss of erythropoietin production is a major cause of anaemia in renal failure. Anaemia is measured by blood haemoglobin levels, and can be treated by injections of erythropoietin in drug form. However, at present we do not know enough about the safety of the drugs. This study aims to assess if treatment dose is related to the survival of patients with chronic kidney disease on haemodialysis (a treatment that takes over the work of the kidneys if they fail). This study plans to use an instrumental variable analysis, which is a technique that uses a variable that is related to the factor under study but is not directly associated with the outcome or any other factor that might serve as an alternative explanation for a study’s result. Results from this study could help inform the need for further randomized controlled trials into this area of research, which in turn could be translated into every day clinical care, enhancing patient quality of life.

Latest approval date

09/10/2017

Safe Data

Dataset(s) name