Cardiac and Kidney Adverse Effects of HIF Prolyl-Hydroxylase Inhibitors for Anemia in Patients With CKD Not Receiving Dialysis: A Systematic Review and Meta-analysis.

Rationale & Objective: Hypoxia-inducible factor prolyl hydroxylase inhibitors (HIF-PHIs) are novel, orally administered agents for anemia management in chronic kidney disease (CKD). We evaluated the cardiac and kidney-related adverse effects of HIF-PHIs among patients with CKD and anemia.

Study Design: Systematic review and meta-analysis of randomized controlled trials (RCTs).

Setting & Study Populations: Patients with anemia and CKD not receiving maintenance dialysis.

Selection Criteria For Studies: RCTs comparing HIF-PHIs to placebo or an erythropoiesis-stimulating agent (ESA) with primary outcomes of cardiac and kidney-related adverse events (AEs).

Data Extraction: Two independent reviewers evaluated RCTs for eligibility and extracted relevant data.

Analytical Approach: Dichotomous variables were pooled using the Mantel-Haenszel method and presented as risk ratios (RRs). Subgroup analyses evaluated different intervention times and HIF-PHIs, as well as phase 2 versus phase 3 trials. The certainty of findings was rated according to GRADE criteria.

Results: Twenty-three studies with 15,144 participants were included. No significant difference in the risk of cardiac AEs was observed between the HIF-PHIs group and the placebo (RR, 1.02 [95% CI, 0.89-1.16]; moderate certainty) or ESA (RR, 1.06 [95% CI, 0.98-1.14]; low certainty) groups. No significant difference in the risk of kidney-related AEs was observed between the HIF-PHIs group and the placebo (RR, 1.09 [95% CI, 0.98-1.20]; moderate certainty) or ESA (RR, 1.00 [95% CI, 0.94-1.06]; low certainty) groups. The occurrence of hypertension and hyperkalemia was higher in the HIF-PHIs group than in the placebo group (RRs of 1.35 [95% CI, 1.14-1.60] and 1.25 [95% CI, 1.03-1.51], respectively; both findings had high certainty). The occurrence of hypertension was lower in the HIF-PHIs group than in the ESA group (RR, 0.89 [95% CI, 0.81-0.98]; moderate certainty).

Limitations: The reporting criteria of cardiac and kidney-related AEs and dosage of HIF-PHIs were inconsistent across trials.

Conclusions: The occurrence of cardiac or kidney-related AEs in the HIF-PHI groups were not different compared with placebo or ESA groups.

Registration: Registered at PROSPERO with registration number CRD42021228243.