The research on the topic of anemia of chronic diseases (ACD) has already generated vital discoveries that save people’s lives, but its complexity and issues with timely diagnoses signal for more required effort. ACD is a common disease, and it is often overlooked as it can be masked by other underlying conditions (Ganz, 2019). The in-depth knowledge about this disease is necessary for a nurse who has a chance to encounter patients with high risks of developing it. In the past decade, there was a surge of studies about ACD that is linked with rising concerns about the aging population. This essay surveys the literature related to the topic and analyzes the information provided by several recent studies.
The first article, “Risk factors for incident anemia of chronic diseases: A cohort study” by Lee et al., is a correlational study on the relationship between ACD and comorbidities. Authors note that most studies of this disease focus on a specific single disease or population, therefore, they were limited in terms of risk factors in patients with anemia (Lee et al., 2019). Moreover, many studied groups had patients with existing heart conditions, for whom anemia is a risk factor that could cause cardiovascular arrest and death (Besarab & Hemmerlich, 2018). Lee et al. (2019) acknowledge that “population-based studies have shown that 17% of the elderly are anemic”, but their study includes people from 18 years and older who were monitored for 20 years. The paper examines what factors could cause ACD in patients with common chronic diseases. The occurrence of ACD will increase as population ages, therefore, it is necessary to define risk groups accurately.
The second article called “Anemia in the long-term care setting” is a meta-analysis done by Abid et al. It focuses on concerns about ACD occurrence in long-term care settings, its prevalence, and the significance of the in-depth knowledge of this disease for people who work in these facilities. This disease is related to a higher risk of dementia, delirium, falls, it decreases the quality of life and patients have higher chances of dying from other causes when suffering from ACD (Abid et al., 2019). Besarab and Hemmerich (2018) argue that “the aging process itself might be an intrinsic factor in the development of anemia, possibly through the age-related dysregulation of certain pro-inflammatory cytokines” (p. 61). Therefore, nurses who work at elderly care facilities should be knowledgeable about the issue and have the necessary means to diagnose it at disposal.
The third scholarly paper “Evaluation of serum hepcidin as a biochemical marker in the diagnosis of anemia of chronic disease” is an experimental study conducted by Vyas et al. It discusses how anemia affects people worldwide and provides an insight in the research of the new marker for diagnosing ACD at lower costs without damaging its accuracy. Vyas et al. (2018) aimed to “explore the use of a biomarker i.e. hepcidin in detection and diagnosis in early-stage anemia,” and concluded that the chosen marker for infection correlates with hepcidin expression (p. 1974). This pioneering study gives a new tool for a simple and non-invasive way to diagnose of ACD.
The fourth article is “Targeting hypoxia-inducible factors for the treatment of anemia in chronic kidney disease patients” by Locatelli et al. It is a review of multiple sources of data on safety and effectiveness of prolyl hydroxylase inhibitors (HIF-PHIs) in ACD treatment. While seven different HIF-PHIs have been created, none of them have passed clinical trials yet (Besarab & Hemmerich, 2018). Locatelli et al. (2017) conclude that “HIF-PHIs need to be proven safe,” and highlight the need for controlled trials that “will provide a comprehensive summary of the safety of this interesting approach to the treatment of anemia in CKD” (p. 198). The paper ushers the introduction of new, cheaper, and more efficient treatment protocols and medications, which is necessary for such widespread disease as ACD.
The fifth paper is a chapter by Thomas Ganz called “Anemia of chronic disease” from Molecular Hematology. It provides a thorough introduction to the topic, gives detailed instructions on diagnosis and treatment of ACD, and highlights how to distinguish its underlying problems in different settings accurately. Ganz (2019) points out that “hypoferremia, a decrease in serum iron concentration, is the defining feature of anemia of inflammation” (p. 165), which supports previously mentioned articles. This chapter gives a clear set of symptoms for ACD, defines all modern treatment methods, and describes difficulties in diagnosis of ACD.
In conclusion, each of these articles provides crucial knowledge about the disease. This information is of utmost importance for nurses who will encounter patients from high-risk groups and must be included in educational courses as vital knowledge to nurse practitioners. Further studies about this disease are necessary for raising standards of living of many patients, especially older people since their percentage grows rapidly in many countries. Research on the new diagnosis and treatment methods is essential and must be funded for quicker development.
References
Abid, S. A., Gravenstein, S., & Nanda, A. (2019). Anemia in the long-term care setting. Clinics in Geriatric Medicine, 35(3), 381–389. Web.
Besarab, A., & Hemmerich, S. (2018). Anemia of chronic disease. In R. Provenzano et al. (Eds.), Management of anemia. Springer.
Ganz, T. (2019). Anemia of chronic disease. In D. Provan & J. Gribben (Eds.), Molecular hematology (4th ed.). Wiley-Blackwell.
Lee, Y. G., Chang, Y., Kang, J., Koo, D. H., Lee, S. S., Ryu, S., & Oh, S. (2019). Risk factors for incident anemia of chronic diseases: A cohort study. PloS one, 14(5). Web.
Locatelli, F., Fishbane, S., Block, G. A., & Macdougall, I. C. (2017). Targeting hypoxia-inducible factors for the treatment of anemia in chronic kidney disease patients. American Journal of Nephrology, 45, 187-199. Web.
Vyas, S., Suman, S., Kapoor, A., & Nema, S. (2018). Evaluation of serum hepcidin as a biochemical marker in diagnosis of anemia of chronic disease. International Journal of Research in Medical Sciences, 6(6), 1971-1976. Web.