Background

Despite the widespread use of erythropoietin-stimulating agents (ESAs) to treat anemia in patients undergoing hemodialysis, the relative mortality risks associated with use of different types of ESAs are unknown.

Methods

To compare the mortality risk associated with use of short-acting ESAs versus long-acting ESAs, we conducted a nationwide cohort study of 194,698 hemodialysis patients in Japan who received either a short-acting (epoetin α/β or epoetin ) or a long-acting (darbepoetin or epoetin β pegol) ESA. Study outcomes were 2-year all-cause and cause-specific mortality. In addition to Cox proportional hazards models, we performed an instrumental variable analysis in which facility-level long-acting ESA prescription rates were taken as the instrumental variable.

Results

During the 2-year follow-up period, 31,557 deaths occurred. In a multivariable Cox model, long-acting ESA users had a 13% higher rate of deaths compared with short-acting ESA users, a significant difference (P<0.001). Similar results were obtained in other analyses. This difference in risk was pronounced among patients receiving high doses of ESA (for whom the adjusted 2-year number needed to harm for death was 30.8). Long-acting ESA use was associated with an increased rate of death from cardiovascular diseases, infection, and malignancies. In the instrumental variable analysis, long-acting ESA users remained at a significantly higher risk of death. Compared with anemic (hemoglobin 9.0–9.9 g/dl) short-acting ESA users, long-acting ESA users who achieved more optimal hemoglobin levels (10.0–10.9 g/dl) showed a higher mortality rate.

Conclusions

Among patients undergoing hemodialysis, use of long-acting ESAs might be associated with a higher risk of death than use of short-acting ESAs.