Hi:

My brother has been anemic for a couple of years. Has had alot of tests, colonoscopy and other things and there is no bleeding internally, anywhere.

Within the past year, his kidney levels (creatnine & bun) have been high. I don't have the figures off-hand.

His doctor wants him to have a bone-marrow biopsy. I know there can be other things that could be wrong (leukemia ?). I have this gut instinct that the anemia could be due to kidney problems. I have just recently begun researching. In my research, I have discovered that your kidneys produce (eyrythmpoetin) (sp) that could cause anemia.

My brother is also taking pain pills (Lorcet) due to an extensive knee surgery he had.

How does narcotic pain medication affect the kidneys. I should mention that he is diabetic-type II (diagnosed 2 years ago....glucose is under good control) and has high blood pressure (which is also under good control).

I know all of the above can contribute to poor kidney function.

I have an appointment with my PCP on Monday. My brother's appointment with the same PCP is on Tuesday. I plan on mentioning this to my doctor.

How would a bone marrow biopsy mean anything in conjunction with the kidneys? I want to point my doc in the right direction (LOL). I'm worried about my brother and want to catch this disease NOW before it gets any worse.

My dad had Kidney failure due to which we believe was due to high blood pressure and Type II diabetes. He passed away in December, 1999 due to heart problems. If he hadn't passed away, I am SURE he would have been on dialysis.

Any help, suggestions, comments, or ANYTHING would sure be helpful.

Thank you.

Sue

Hi:
His doctor wants him to have a bone-marrow biopsy. I know there can be other things that could be wrong (leukemia ?). I have this gut instinct that the anemia could be due to kidney problems. I have just recently begun researching. In my research, I have discovered that your kidneys produce (eyrythmpoetin) (sp) that could cause anemia.
You are absolutely right....the kidneys do produce erythropoetin, and lack of this factor (as in chronic kidney disease) can lead to anemia. The thing is though, it matters what the rest of the blood picture looks like. I understand that his BUN and creatinine may be increasing, but it depends on how MUCH they have increased over time, and what exactly his kidney function is at right now. Is there any way you could get those kidney figures? It would help alot. Does he have other signs of renal failure? Though even if he doesn't, it doesn't necessarily mean that he does not have renal failure--a lot of people are asymptomatic. The signs, though, include: ankle swelling, nausea, loss of appetite, shortness of breath, itching etc.
How does narcotic pain medication affect the kidneys. I should mention that he is diabetic-type II (diagnosed 2 years ago....glucose is under good control) and has high blood pressure (which is also under good control).
Narcotics really don't affect the kidneys that much, but NSAID drugs like aspirin, naproxin etc. etc. are the ones that can exacerbate damage in renal failure. Your brother has diabetes and hypertension eh? Well, those are two of the 4 biggest reasons for chronic kidney failure. The four are:

hypertension
diabetes
glomerulonephritides
polycystic kidney disease.

It would be very important to ask...how old is your brother?

How would a bone marrow biopsy mean anything in conjunction with the kidneys? I want to point my doc in the right direction (LOL). I'm worried about my brother and want to catch this disease NOW before it gets any worse.
Well, as you probably know, the bone marrow is the site of the production of all of the cells in your blood. I'm wondering if possibly in your brother's blood count that OTHER cells were low as well. If just his red cells were low, then it is less likely there is a primary bone marrow problem. But if his platelets and white cells were low too, then maybe this is the reason the doctor wants to do the bone marrow biopsy. (I don't know the full story of your brother's condition)
My dad had Kidney failure due to which we believe was due to high blood pressure and Type II diabetes. He passed away in December, 1999 due to heart problems. If he hadn't passed away, I am SURE he would have been on dialysis.
I agree with you.

Would it be possible for you to answer a few more questions that I asked above, and then maybe I can give you a clearer picture.