ATLANTA—Elderly end-stage renal disease (ESRD) patients are at substantially increased risk of prediabetes, according to a study presented at the American Society of Nephrology’s Kidney Week 2013 meeting.
The study, conducted by Mark E. Williams, MD, of the Joslin Diabetes Center in Boston, and colleagues, studied 3,447 dialysis patients from 26 facilities. They defined prediabetes as A1c values of 5.7%-6.4%. Of the 3,447 patients, 1,454 did not have known diabetes and had A1c values. Their mean age was 56.6 years and 78% of them were on hemodialysis.
The proportion of patients with prediabetes was 12% for patients younger than 45 years, 14.7% for those aged 45-55 years, 15% for those aged 55-65, 20.8% for those aged 65-75, and 19.5% for those aged 75 and older.
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“Studies defining the natural history of prediabetes and the benefit of screening the ESRD elderly for preventive intervention are needed,” the authors concluded. “The need for more studies focusing on patients with geriatric chronic kidney disease becomes increasingly apparent.”
