title: Hospital-acquired acute kidney injury in the elderly.
abstract: Acute kidney injury (AKI) is becoming increasingly common in elderly individuals. The presence of multiple comorbidities as well as age-related changes in the kidney, systemic vasculature and immunological system render older patients more prone to renal injury. Hypovolemia, sepsis, and iatrogenic complications related to drug toxicity, contrast-induced nephropathy, and perioperative complications therefore often occur in older hospitalized patients. Although AKI is treated in the same way in elderly individuals and younger patients, elderly individuals are more vulnerable to dialysis-related complications such as hemodynamic instability, bleeding, and mild disequilibrium syndrome. Strategies for the prevention of AKI are particularly important in these fragile patients, but making an early diagnosis is especially challenging in this age group.
authors.affiliation: Department of Nephrology, San Bortolo Hospital and International Research Institute of Vicenza, 36100 Vicenza, Italy.
authors.forename: Alexandra
authors.initials: A
authors.lastname: Chronopoulos
authors.forename: Dinna N
authors.initials: DN
authors.lastname: Cruz
authors.forename: Claudio
authors.initials: C
authors.lastname: Ronco
mesh_terms: D058186:Acute Kidney Injury / Q000453:epidemiology* / Q000209:etiology* / Q000628:therapy; D000368:Aged; D000369:Aged, 80 and over; D000375:Aging / Q000502:physiology; D015897:Comorbidity; D004198:Disease Susceptibility / Q000453:epidemiology*; D005260:Female; D015577:Geriatric Assessment; D017052:Hospital Mortality / Q000639:trends*; D006760:Hospitalization; D006801:Humans; D015994:Incidence; D007677:Kidney Function Tests; D008297:Male; D011379:Prognosis; D006435:Renal Dialysis / Q000379:methods / Q000401:mortality; D018570:Risk Assessment