ATLANTA—Diabetic nephropathy is the predominant cause of end-stage renal disease (ESRD) among elderly patients in Singapore, according to study findings presented at the American Society of Nephrology’s Kidney Week 2013 meeting.
Alvin Kok Heong Ng, MD, of the Changi General Hospital in Singapore, conducted a retrospective, longitudinal analysis of patients aged 70 years and older who received care at the hospital. Diabetic nephropathy was the cause of ESRD in 62.8% of patients. Initiation of dialysis involved temporary vascular catheters in 41.9% of patients; 30.2% required continuous renal replacement therapy (CRRT).
None of the patients had a functioning dialysis access during initiation; 79.1% were placed on hemodialysis and 20.9% were placed on peritoneal dialysis.
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Three patients (11%) died out of 27 patients with at least a one-year follow-up, but death rates were not calculated because of the small number of patients.
“Diabetes remains a predominant etiology of [ESRD] in elderly population with a large proportion requiring temporary vascular access and CRRT,” Dr. Ng concluded. “We hope to improve the access to dialysis treatment, timely initiation, and care in our elderly population with the above findings.”
