Fig. 2

Box-and-whisker plots of change in biochemical indicators of iron status and ESA doses during the follow-up period. a Box-and-whisker plots of change in hemoglobin levels during the follow-up period. Limits of boxes are 1^st quartile (lower limit) and 3^rd quartile (upper limit), with + and □ being the mean and median values, respectively. Ends of whiskers indicate 1^st decile (lower end) and 9^th decile (upper end) (p = 0.54). b Box-and-whisker plots of change in TSAT during the follow-up. Limits of boxes are 1^st quartile (lower limit) and 3^rd quartile (upper limit), with + and □ being the mean and median values, respectively. Ends of whiskers indicate 1^st decile (lower end) and 9^th decile (upper end) (p = 0.01). c Box-and-whisker plots of change in serum ferritin during the follow-up. Limits of boxes are 1^st quartile (lower limit) and 3^rd quartile (upper limit), with + and □ being the mean and median values, respectively. Ends of whiskers indicate 1^st decile (lower end) and 9^th decile (upper end) (p = 0.0001). d Box-and-whisker plots of change in prescribed ESA doses during the follow-up. Limits of boxes are 1^st quartile (lower limit) and 3^rd quartile (upper limit), with + and □ being the mean and median values, respectively. Ends of whiskers indicate 1^st decile (lower end) and 9^th decile (upper end) (p = 0.07)