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Management of chronic kidney disease in the elderly
1Department of Geriatric Medicine General Medicine Renal Medicine Metabolic Bone Disorder Clinic, Western Health, Melbourne, Victoria, Australia.
Insights
Managing chronic kidney disease (CKD) in the elderly presents unique challenges. This review offers a framework for diagnosing and treating older adults with CKD, considering age-related factors.
Area of Science:
- Nephrology
- Geriatrics
Background:
- Chronic kidney disease (CKD) and end-stage renal disease (ESRD) are highly prevalent in the elderly population.
- Current evidence-based management of CKD often overlooks age-specific factors crucial for elderly patients.
Purpose of the Study:
- To review current evidence on diagnosing and managing CKD in the elderly.
- To provide a framework for addressing the unique challenges of CKD in older adults.
Main Methods:
- Review of existing literature on CKD in the elderly.
- Focus on age-related physiological changes in the renal system.
- Consideration of comorbidities, functional status, and polypharmacy in management.
Main Results:
- Elderly CKD patients often have multiple comorbidities and functional impairments not fully addressed by current guidelines.
- Age-related physiological changes impact renal function assessment and management strategies.
- Quality of life and functional outcomes are critical considerations for this demographic.
Conclusions:
- A tailored approach is necessary for diagnosing and managing CKD in the elderly.
- Future research should incorporate age-specific variables and outcomes.
- Improved frameworks are needed to optimize care for elderly CKD patients.
Abstract:
Both chronic kidney disease (CKD) and end-stage renal disease are strongly age related. Although the morbidity and mortality of CKD have significantly improved in recent years because of a greater understanding of its pathophysiology and evidence-based approach to management, the application of this evidence to the elderly CKD patients is often fraught with difficulty. This is because, besides age, the clinical and biological variables that are widely prevalent in the elderly, such as multiple co-morbidities, functional impairments and polypharmacy, and quality of life and functional outcome measures, which are pertinent to this age group, have generally not been incorporated into the available evidence. This paper reviews the current evidence with a view to providing a framework for diagnosing and managing CKD in the elderly. Special references are made to age-related physiological changes in the renal system, assessment of renal function, and management of metabolic complications and end-stage renal disease.
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