Ortho公司研制出自我筛查贫血的试剂盒

第一种个自我筛查贫血的试剂盒被设计用于在那些慢性肾脏疾病高危人群中进行检测，例如糖尿病或者高血压患者。

新的检测方法叫做AnemiaPro，允许处于慢性肾脏疾病高危人群自己在家中方便地检测血液来发现贫血可能性。贫血，红细胞计数减少，是慢性肾脏疾病重要的但常被忽略的症状。该检测产品由Ortho生物产品公司(Bridgewater, NJ, USA)研制开发的，并已经获得了美国食品药品管理局的许可。

据估计仅仅在美国就有超过2千万患有慢性肾脏疾病，这是一种进行性疾病，肾脏不能有效发挥功能，大多数患者甚至根本就不知道自己患了该病。除了糖尿病与高血压患者之外，高危因素还包括有肾脏疾病家族史以及年纪超过65岁的人。

AnemiaPro单次检测需要从指头针刺得到一滴血加入测试设备中。20分钟后设备显示出血红蛋白的数字读数。检验结果可以与医生共享，医生然后加以证实或者排除贫血的诊断以及可能的病因。Alexander Salerno医生是Newark地区(NJ, USA)治疗慢性肾脏疾病的内科学专家，他说：“患者尽快与他们的医生讨论慢性肾脏疾病的症状，比如乏力、头晕、气短，是非常重要。”

Anemia Self-Screening Kit
 
The first self-screening kit for anemia is designed for use by people at risk for chronic kidney disease (CKD), such as those with diabetes or high blood pressure.

The new test, called AnemiaPro, enables people at risk for chronic kidney disease to check their blood for possible signs of anemia in the privacy and convenience of their home. Anemia, a low red-blood-cell count, is an important and often overlooked symptom of CKD. The test was developed by Ortho Biotech Products L.P. (Bridgewater, NJ, USA) and has been cleared by the U.S. Food and Drug Administration (FDA).

More than 20 million people in the United States alone are estimated to have CKD, a progressive condition in which the kidneys are unable to function effectively, and most don’t even know it. In addition to diabetes and high blood pressure patients, those at risk include people with a family history of kidney disease and those over the age of 65.

The AnemiaPro single-use test requires placing a single drop of blood from a finger stick into the test device. Within 20 minutes, the test will show a numeric reading of the hemoglobin count. The results should be shared with a doctor, who can then confirm or rule out a diagnosis of anemia and its possible causes. “It is important that patients discuss symptoms of chronic kidney disease, such as fatigue, dizziness, or shortness of breath, with their doctors as soon as possible,” advised Alexander Salerno, M.D., an internal medicine specialist who treats people with CKD in the Newark (NJ, USA) area.