ASN's Mission

To create a world without kidney diseases, the ASN Alliance for Kidney Health elevates care by educating and informing, driving breakthroughs and innovation, and advocating for policies that create transformative changes in kidney medicine throughout the world.

learn more

Contact ASN

1401 H St, NW, Ste 900, Washington, DC 20005

email@asn-online.org

202-640-4660

The Latest on X

Kidney Week

Abstract: FR-PO832

Impact of Transferrin Saturation on All-Cause Mortality in Patients on Maintenance Hemodialysis

Session Information

Category: Dialysis

  • 702 Dialysis: Home Hemodialysis

Author

  • Nitta, Kosaku, Tokyo Women's Medical University, Shinjuku-ku, ToKyo, Japan
Background

To evaluate iron status, transferrin saturation (TSAT) and serum ferritin levels are commonly used. TSAT provides an assessment of how much transferrin has bound iron, whereas serum ferritin is a marker used to reflect body iron storage. Our aim was to evaluate the prognostic importance of TSAT in Japanese patients on maintenance hemodialysis (MHD).

Methods

A total of 398 MHD patients were recruited and divided into 3 groups according to baseline TSAT of <20%, 20–40%, and >40%. The mean duration of the study was 52.2 ± 16.3 months. The primary endpoint was all-cause mortality, and the secondary endpoint was cardiovascular (CV) mortality.

Results

A total of 130 patients died during a mean follow-up duration of 52.2 ± 16.3 months. There were no differences in the proportion of patients on erythropoiesis-stimulating agents or iron supplements among the 3 groups. During a mean follow-up duration of 52.2 ±1 6.3 months, 130 patients died of CV causes (n = 63, (15.8%) and infection (n = 47, 11.8%). Compared with the reference group (TSAT 20–40%), patients with TSAT <20% had significantly higher all-cause mortality rates (6.44 vs. 9.55 events per 100 patient-year, p = 0.0452). Kaplan-Meier analysis also showed that all-cause mortality rates were significantly higher in patients with TSAT <20% compared to the other two groups (p =0.0353).

Conclusion

Low TSAT was a significant independent risk factor for all-cause mortality in a cohort of Japanese MHD patients. These findings suggested that the adverse clinical outcomes in patients with low TSAT can be partly attributed to iron-deficiency anemia.