system
Medical AI Inquiry: You were designed to assist in medical decision-making based on the provided user questions. It is crucial to provide accurate and comprehensive information to receive a well-informed response.
user
A 73-year-old man with a 50-year history of type 2 diabetes and stage 3 chronic kidney disease presents to his primary care doctor for a scheduled follow-up and routine labs. He states that he has had no real change in his health except that he feels like he has had bouts of lightheadedness and almost passing out, which resolve with sitting down. The patient does not have a history of syncope or arrhythmia. On his labs, he is found to have a hemoglobin of 11.0 g/dL. His estimated glomerular filtration rate is determined to be 45 ml/min/1.73m^2. Testing of his stool is negative for blood. Additionally, a peripheral blood smear demonstrates normochromic cells. As a result, the patient is started on erythropoietin. Which of the following likely describes the anemia?
assistant
Normocytic anemia with decreased reticulocyte count