Renal replacement therapy in patients over 75 years old

Abstract

We describe the population of the affiliates of the National Institute of Social Services for Retirees and Pensioners of Buenos Aires (INSSJP), older than 75 years, in the different modalities of renal replacement therapy. All affiliates older than 75 who started dialysis therapy between 01/01/2011 and 12/31/2015 were identified in the National System of Procurement and Transplantation of the Argentine Republic (SINTRA), as well as all those older than 75 who received a kidney transplant in that period. A total number of 3989 patients started dialysis treatment during that period. Only 67 of them (1.7%) underwent peritoneal dialysis (PD); 11 (0.3%) were on the waiting list and just 2 of them received a kidney transplant. An increase of about 7% in the incidence of patients belonging to this age group was observed between 2011 and 2015. Forty patients older than 75 received a transplant, twenty-two of them (55%) were enrolled in the Old for Old Program. The median survival for patients who had had a transplant was 3.9 years (95% CI 1.5 to 3.93). At the time of death, 66% of them had a functioning graft. The median survival for hemodialysis was 1.53 years (95% CI 1.43 to 1.63), and 2.02 (95% CI 1.5 to 3.2) for peritoneal dialysis. There were no statistically significant differences among hemodialysis, peritoneal dialysis and transplantation, although a slightly higher survival was observed in the latter. In our country the number of patients older than 75 who access peritoneal dialysis and transplantation is negligible, although according to the publications analyzed, it could be a good treatment option for them and we believe that their use should be expanded.

Keywords

• terapia sustitutiva renal
• diálisis peritoneal
• hemodiálisis
• trasplante renal
• sobrevida
• adultos mayores