Survival rates in comprehensive conservative care compared to dialysis therapy in elderly end-stage kidney disease patients: a propensity score analysis

Initiating dialysis therapy in elderly patients with end-stage kidney disease (ESKD) is a challenging decision. We aimed to examine the mortality rates among elderly patients who underwent hemodialysis, peritoneal dialysis, or comprehensive conservative care. This retrospective cohort study included elderly patients (≥70 years) with ESKD who selected their treatment options from January 2008 to December 2018. Patients were categorized into three groups: hemodialysis, peritoneal dialysis, and comprehensive conservative care. The outcome of interest was all-cause mortality analyzed using flexible parametric survival models. Propensity score analysis with inverse probability treatment weighting technique was performed, incorporating age, Charlson Comorbidity Index score, and estimated glomerular filtration rate. The study included 719 elderly ESKD patients with mean age of 78.2 ± 4.9 years, 52.3% were male, and 60.1% died during the median follow-up period of 22.1 months. In a fully adjusted model, patients receiving comprehensive conservative care (<i>n</i> = 50) had higher mortality rates than those receiving hemodialysis (<i>n</i> = 317) (adjusted hazard ratio [HR] 5.60; 95% CI 2.26-13.84, <i>p</i> < 0.001). However, patients who received peritoneal dialysis (<i>n</i> = 352) had a similar mortality rate when compared to those who received hemodialysis (adjusted HR 1.38; 95% CI 0.78-2.44, <i>p</i> = 0.275). The higher mortality rate in the comprehensive conservative care group remained significantly higher than in the hemodialysis group among patients aged ≥80 years (adjusted HR 4.97; 95% CI 1.32-18.80, <i>p</i> = 0.018). Among elderly patients (≥70 years), treatment with dialysis was associated with longer survival rates. This survival advantage persisted in patients aged ≥80 years who chose hemodialysis or peritoneal dialysis over comprehensive conservative care.