TUESDAY, Feb. 6 (HealthDay News) -- Since 1996, increasing numbers of people in their 80s and 90s have initiated dialysis, but their odds of one-year survival are still only about 50 percent, according to a report published in the Feb. 6 issue of the Annals of Internal Medicine.
Manjula Kurella, M.D., M.P.H., of the University of California San Francisco, and colleagues analyzed 1996-2003 data from the U.S. Renal Data System.
The researchers found that 13,577 octogenarians and nonagenarians initiated dialysis in 2003 compared to 7,054 who did so in 1996. They also found that the one-year mortality rate was 46 percent and that one-year survival rates did not materially change between 1996 and 2003. Characteristics linked with death included older age, non-ambulatory status and more co-morbid conditions.
"Although dialysis may increase life expectancy for selected octogenarians and nonagenarians, overall survival times remain modest," the authors state. "When considering dialysis initiation among the elderly, decision making should be individualized and realistic estimates of survival should be considered along with expected quality of life and the patient's values."
Abstract
Full Text (subscription or payment may be required)
