Pottransplantation anemia: management and rationale.

In recent years, there has been an increasing interest in studying the anemia that occurs after kidney transplantation. Although many of the guidelines for the treatment of kidney transplant patients, including those for anemia, are extrapolated from recommendations for patients with chronic kidney disease, there are important differences in the cause of and response to anemia in kidney transplant recipients. In addition to the correlation of anemia with kidney function as in native renal disease, many other factors are associated with the development of anemia after transplantation, including the use of medications and the inflammation/immune response. Given the lack of large, well-designed, prospective studies, the consequences of anemia, the response to treatment, and the cost-effectiveness of treatment in the posttransplantation setting are also poorly understood.