RT Book, Section
A1 Dimkovic, Nada B.
A1 Oreopoulos, Dimitrios G.
A2 Lerma, Edgar V.
A2 Berns, Jeffrey S.
A2 Nissenson, Allen R.
SR Print(0)
ID 6341781
T1 Chapter 56. Aging & Renal Disease
T2 CURRENT Diagnosis & Treatment: Nephrology & Hypertension
YR 2009
FD 2009
PB The McGraw-Hill Companies
PP New York, NY
SN 978-0-07-144787-4
LK accessmedicine.mhmedical.com/content.aspx?aid=6341781
RD 2024/04/17
AB As  the  elderly  population  continues  to  grow,  the  diagnosis  and  treatment  of  renal  diseases  become  challenges  for  the  everyday  nephrology  practice.  Although  elderly  patients  are  prone  to  the  same  diseases  of  the  kidney  as  younger  patients,  the  diagnostic  criteria  are  not  so  clearly  defined.  Anatomic  and  functional  age-induced  changes  often  overlap  pathologic  processes.  The  resulting  reduced  renal  function  decreases  the  individual's  capacity  to  respond  to  a  variety  of  stresses  and  has  important  clinical  implications  for  diagnosis  and  treatment.  Comorbid  conditions,  the  absence  of  classic  symptoms,  “symptomless”  conditions  in  those  with  impaired  consciousness,  and  the  poor  correlation  between  clinical  presentation  and  the  etiology  of  disease  make  the  diagnosis  of  renal  diseases  in  the  elderly  even  more  difficult.  Finally,  several  pathologic  conditions  of  the  kidneys  might  occur  simultaneously  in  the  elderly.