Chronic kidney disease can cause anemia because the kidneys are unable to produce which substance?

Chronic kidney disease can cause anemia because the kidneys are unable to produce which substance?

• A. Hemoglobin
• B. Erythropoietin
• C. Platelets
• D. Iron

Answer: (B)

Chronic kidney disease often leads to anemia because the kidneys normally release erythropoietin, a hormone that stimulates the bone marrow to produce red blood cells. When kidney function declines, erythropoietin production falls, so the bone marrow receives less signal to make RBCs and anemia develops. Hemoglobin is the oxygen-carrying protein inside red blood cells, not something the kidneys produce. Platelets come from the bone marrow, and iron is needed for hemoglobin synthesis but is not produced by the kidneys. The failure to produce erythropoietin in CKD directly explains the anemia.

Chronic kidney disease often leads to anemia because the kidneys normally release erythropoietin, a hormone that stimulates the bone marrow to produce red blood cells. When kidney function declines, erythropoietin production falls, so the bone marrow receives less signal to make RBCs and anemia develops. Hemoglobin is the oxygen-carrying protein inside red blood cells, not something the kidneys produce. Platelets come from the bone marrow, and iron is needed for hemoglobin synthesis but is not produced by the kidneys. The failure to produce erythropoietin in CKD directly explains the anemia.