Anemia in CKD, Part 1: Why Is It So Often Overlooked?

Beyond the Renal Diet · Nov 9, 2026 · 23m

Anemia is one of the most common complications of CKD, yet many patients are never fully evaluated for it. Why does it slip through the cracks?

In Part 1 of this conversation, Jessianna Saville and Lindsey Zirker of the Kidney Nutrition Institute look beyond the familiar explanation that declining kidneys stop making EPO. Lindsey explains how uremic toxins, inflammation, and altered iron regulation also affect red blood cells. She describes how iron deficiency, B12 or folate deficiency, functional iron deficiency, and anemia of chronic disease can overlap in the same patient. She also…