Characteristics of hospitalized elderly patients with CKD: a comparison between elderly and non-elderly CKD based on a multicenter cross-sectional study

Purpose We undertook a multicenter epidemiological survey among hospitalized patients with chronic kidney disease (CKD), aiming to reveal the characteristics of elderly CKD by comparing it with non-elderly CKD.

Methods Medical records were obtained from 18 military hospitals across China from 1 January 2009 to 31 December 2011.

The characteristics of chronic kidney disease in the elderly were analyzed through comparing with those in younger patients with chronic kidney disease.

Results A total of 380,461 hospitalized patients were included in the database, with 25,826 (6.8%) diagnosed with CKD.

Unlike non-elderly, the top-three causes of chronic kidney disease among elderly patients were diabetic nephropathy (24.1%), hypertension-related renal impairment (20.9%), and primary glomerular disease (11.1%).

71.6% of the elderly patients with CKD had more than one comorbidities and the number of morbidities increased with age.

In-hospital mortality of the elderly was significantly higher than those of younger patients (3.3% vs. 1.0%).

Multiple logistic regression analysis showed that age, CKD 5 stage, acidosis, cardiovascular and cerebrovascular diseases, infection disease, neoplasm, and dementia were independent risk factors for death from CKD in the elderly.

The median length of stay (LOS) was similar between elderly and younger CKD patients.

The median cost was higher for elderly CKD patients than for younger CKD patients.

Among elderly individuals with CKD, LOS, and hospitalization costs also increased with an increase in the number of coexisting diseases.

Conclusions Diabetic nephropathy,  and hypertension-related kidney injury were the leading causes of chronic kidney disease in elderly patients, which is different from the non-elderly.

Elderly patients with chronic kidney disease were more likely to have a higher burden of comorbidities, which were associated with worse in-hospital outcomes.