HEMODIALYSIS IN END-STAGE RENAL DISEASE PATIENTS OVER 75 YEARS OLD

Abstract Background and Aims Over the last decade, the age of dialysis patients has been increasing steadily worldwide. The benefits of dialysis in older people with end stage renal disease (ESRD) are not clear. We will try to evaluate whether dialysis in older has survival advantage compared to younger people. Method It is a prospective descriptive and analytic study including 229 patients who initiated chronic hemodialysis during the period between January and June 2017. Patients were classified into two groups by age at dialysis initiation. Patients above 75 years of age were considered old (old group OG). Patients aged less then 75 years old were considered young (young group YG). Primary outcome was old patient’s survival during the first 3 and 12 months from the dialysis initiation. Results Among a total of 229 new patients who began dialysis treatment, 41 (17,9%) ESRD were above 75 years of age.The sex ratio was 0,95 and 1,54 in respectively in OG and YG (p = 0,167). Diabetes was present in 56% of the elderly and in 59% of the younger group (p = 0,72) and was more frequently the cause of ESRD in the two groups. The average of modified Charlson Comorbidity Index was 6,7 ± 2,3 and 3,9 ± 2,6 respectively in OG and YG(p = 10-3). Younger patients had been referred earlier to nephrologists than the older ones. In fact, glomerular filtration rate at the beginning of the follow up was 18,7 ± 8,9 ml/min/1,73 in OG and 25,4 ± 16,2 in YG (p = 0,004). There was no statically significant difference between the two groups in the frequency of the use of temporary catheters at dialysis initiation (p = 0,778) and the urgent or planned initiation of dialysis (p = 0,298). Younger patients required hospitalization to organize dialysis initiation more than older patients (51,6% VS 26,8%; p = 0,005). Compared with the group of younger patients, Cox model showed an incremental increase in mortality associated with older patients’ group during the first year of HD (p = 0,036). However, there was no difference between OG and YG in the mortality rate during the first 3 months of HD (p = 0,102). Conclusion We may conclude that life expectancy of patients who began dialysis above 75 years is significantly shorter than younger patients in the first year of HD. In the other hand, the difference between the 2 groups wasn’t significant regarding the conditions of dialysis initiation.