Chronic kidney disease in older people

Chronic kidney disease prevalence will continue to rise due to increased life expectancy and population ageing. It is likely that the decline in glomerular filtration rate with increasing age represents a renal manifestation of widespread vascular disease. In addition to its associated cardiovascular risk, chronic kidney disease in older people is associated with increased prevalence of geriatric syndromes such as functional and cognitive decline, which lead to disability and frailty. Competing risks for mortality, because of the co-existence of multiple co-morbidities in old age, means that the majority of older people with chronic kidney disease will not progress to end-stage renal disease. Management of chronic kidney disease in older people is complex and an individualized and holistic, rather than disease-orientated, approach is necessary, which takes into account patients’ priorities and wishes, especially frail and very elderly populations with multiple co-morbidities.