Do Elderly Patients Need Dialysis?

Initiating dialysis at an advanced age is both a clinical challenge and an ethical dilemma, because the benefits in older adults with advanced chronic kidney disease may be offset by high rates of dialysis-related morbidity. Geriatric conditions, such as aging, frailty, functional impairment, and cognitive impairment, significantly influence the prognosis of elderly patients. Therefore, it becomes important to provide patients and families with prognostic information regarding timing of initiation, which is further complicated by the competing mortality risk. Shared decision-making by clinicians and patients can yield better clinical outcomes and quality of life. Through this approach, patients can opt for the most appropriate treatment based on their personal values, which often entails conservative management.