Minimal data are available regarding the prevalence and incidence of anemia among patients with non-dialysis-dependent chronic kidney disease (NDD-CKD) in France.

This was a retrospective non-interventional study of patients with a record of NDD-CKD in the Echantillon Généraliste des Bénéficiaires (EGB) database between January 01, 2012, and December 31, 2017. The primary objective was to estimate the annual incidence and prevalence of anemia of NDD-CKD. Secondary objectives included description of the demo- graphics and clinical characteristics of patients with NDD-CKD-related anemia. An explor- atory objective was to use machine learning to identify patients from the general population that might have NDD-CKD but without a recorded ICD-10 diagnosis of CKD.

During 2012–2017, 9865 adult patients in the EGB database had confirmed NDD-CKD; of these, 49.1% (4848/9865) had anemia. From 2015 to 2017, estimates of incidence (108.7– 114.7 per 1000 population) and prevalence (435.7−449.5 per 1000 population) of NDD- CKD-related anemia were stable. Less than half of patients with anemia of NDD-CKD were treated with oral iron, and approximately 15% were treated with erythropoiesis-stimulating agents. Based on adult French population projections in 2020 and an estimated prevalence rate in 2017 of 42.2 per 1000 population for confirmed plus possible NDD-CKD (as a proportion of the general French population), the estimated number of patients with possible NDD- CKD in France was 2,256,274, approximately five-fold greater than the number identified by diagnostic codes and hospitalizations.