Half of Older Dialysis Patients Die Within a Year, Study Finds
The death rate for older Americans receiving dialysis for kidney failure may be nearly twice as high as widely thought, according to a new report.
For the study, researchers looked at 391 Medicare patients, aged 65 and older, who started dialysis, in which a machine is used to remove toxins from the blood.
Nearly 23% of the patients died within a month of starting dialysis; nearly 45% died within six months; and nearly 55% died within a year, the investigators found.
The highest death rates were among patients older than 85; those who had four or more major health problems in addition to kidney failure; those who started dialysis in the hospital instead of on an outpatient basis; and those who, even before starting dialysis, required help with tasks of daily living such as eating or bathing.
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