A study conducted at Johns Hopkins Children's Center found African-American children with mild to moderate kidney disease have worse anemia than their white counterparts. This is thought to be the first study of anemia in children with milder forms of the disease.
 
Over 350 children with chronic kidney disease (CKD) participated in the study. More than half (52 percent) of the black children had anemia while 40 percent of white participants had anemia. The findings suggest pediatricians should screen African-American children aggressively, even if they are in the early stages of CKD and already receiving anemia treatment.

This article originally appeared in the August 2008 issue of Kidney Beginnings: The Electronic Newsletter.