Chronic kidney disease in older people; disease or dilemma?

The majority of patients diagnosed with chronic kidney disease (CKD) are elderly and CKD is linked with poor cardiovascular, cognitive, and disability outcomes in these people. Only a minority of these patients will progress to end stage renal disease (ESRD) while the majority will die due to cardiovascular disease. Thus, only a small number of these patients with CKD will benefit from specialist nephrologist assessment. The priority for the remainder should be cardiovascular disease prevention. We have reviewed specific issues relevant to older people to determine high-risk groups with CKD that are likely to benefit from a more intensive risk reduction intervention and to allow identification of clinically relevant renal disease.