[Osteo-articular manifestations in dialysis of patients over 70 years]

A clinical, biological and radiological prospective study was carried out in 21 patients over 70 years of age and treated by hemodialysis or chronic ambulatory peritoneal dialysis (CAPD) to evaluate the frequency and specificity of rheumatic diseases observed in aged chronic renal failure patients. Some are caused or favored by old age and are not in any way related to renal failure and its replacement therapy. Such was the case with arthrosis which was present in 85% of patients, ankylosing vertebral hyperostosis (14%), Paget's disease (5%) and gouty arthritis (10%). Elsewhere there is an implication between abnormalities due to aging and those linked to renal failure and/or dialysis, some of which can worsen or accelerate others. Secondary hyperparathyroidism seems less frequent in the elderly than in the young patients. Common vitamin dependent osteomalacia should not be neglected because it can be either prevented or efficiently treated. Osteoporosis is another important factor in osteopenia. Extra-skeletal calcifications are frequent: periarticular calcifications (38%), chondrocalcinosis (14%) and disc calcifications (24%). Dialysis arthropathy comprising: carpal tunnel syndrome, erosive lesions of large and intermediate limb joint articulations and destructive spondylarthropathy is observed in 43% of patients after an average dialysis period of 44 months. The advent of this complication seems to be quite early in the elderly, as compared to the young population, which confirms the role played by age as a favoring factor.