The effect of vitamin D administration on treatment of anemia in End Stage Renal Disease patients with vitamin D deficiency on Hemodialysis: a placebo controlled double blind clinical trial

Chronic kidney disease is a progressive and irreversible loss of renal function. Anemia is one of the main complications of end-stage renal disease (ESRD) which is linked closely with other complications of the disease. Th e primary therapy for anemia in these patients is erythropoietin (EPO). Th e goal of this study was to fi nd the eff ect of Vitamin D administration in addition to the appropriate dose of EPO in ESRD patients with Vitamin D defi ciency. Th is was a double-blind clinical trial on 64 ESRD patients undergoing hemodialysis in Amin and Noor Hospitals of Isfahan, Iran. Th e patients were divided into two groups of control and intervention. Th e intervention group was given Vitamin D supplements and the control group received placebo. Th e required dose of EPO to reach the target hemoglobin (Hb) was measuredand statistically analyzed. A totalnumber of 32 females and 32 males were included in this study. All the patients in the treatment group were aged between 18 and 76 and the patients in the control group were aged between 21 and 76 years old. Th ere was a signifi cant statistical relationship between Vitamin D administration and the required dose of EPO in both groups (P = 0.013). However, there was no correlation between the concentration of Hb and serum Vitamin D levels. Based on the main fi nding of this study, the relationship between Vitamin D administration and required dose of EPO seems that the predicted dose of Vitamin D prescribing strategy in Kidney Disease Outcomes Quality Initiative guidelines is not adequate to achieve normal serum Vitamin D in ESRD patients.