title: Compared with younger peritoneal dialysis patients, elderly patients have similar peritonitis-free survival and lower risk of technique failure, but higher risk of peritonitis-related mortality.
abstract: BACKGROUND
  The number of elderly patients with end-stage kidney disease (ESKD) is increasing worldwide, but the proportion of elderly patients commencing peritoneal dialysis (PD) is falling. The reluctance of elderly ESKD patients to consider PD may be related to a perception that PD is associated with greater rates of complications. In the present study, we compared outcomes between younger and older PD patients.
  
  
  METHODS
  Using Australia and New Zealand Dialysis Registry data, all adult ESKD patients commencing PD between 1991 and 2007 were categorized into under 50, 50 - 64.9, and 65 years of age or older groups. Time to first peritonitis, death-censored technique failure, and peritonitis-associated and all-cause mortality were evaluated by multivariate Cox proportional hazards model analysis.
  
  
  RESULTS
  Of the 12 932 PD patients included in the study, 3370 (26%) were under 50 years of age, 4386 (34%) were 50 - 64.9 years of age, and 5176 (40%) were 65 years of age or older. Compared with younger patients (<50 years), elderly patients (≥ 65 years) had a similar peritonitis-free survival and a lower risk of death-censored technique failure [hazard ratio (HR): 0.85; 95% confidence interval (CI): 0.79 to 0.93], but they had higher peritonitis-related (HR: 2.31; 95% CI: 1.68 to 3.18) and all-cause mortality (HR: 2.90; 95% CI: 2.60 to 3.23).
  
  
  CONCLUSIONS
  Not unexpectedly, elderly patients have higher peritonitis-related and all-cause mortality, which is likely a consequence of a greater prevalence of comorbid disease. However, compared with younger patients, elderly patients have superior technique survival and similar peritonitis-free survival, suggesting that PD is a viable renal replacement therapy in this group of patients.
authors.affiliation: Department of Renal Medicine, Sir Charles Gairdner Hospital, Perth, SA, Australia. wai.lim@health.wa.gov.au
authors.forename: Wai H
authors.initials: WH
authors.lastname: Lim
authors.forename: Gursharan K
authors.initials: GK
authors.lastname: Dogra
authors.forename: Stephen P
authors.initials: SP
authors.lastname: McDonald
authors.forename: Fiona G
authors.initials: FG
authors.lastname: Brown
authors.forename: David W
authors.initials: DW
authors.lastname: Johnson
mesh_terms: D017677:Age Distribution; D000367:Age Factors; D000368:Aged; D001315:Australia / Q000453:epidemiology; D018572:Disease-Free Survival; D005260:Female; D005500:Follow-Up Studies; D006801:Humans; D053208:Kaplan-Meier Estimate; D007676:Kidney Failure, Chronic / Q000401:mortality / Q000628:therapy*; D008297:Male; D008875:Middle Aged; D009520:New Zealand / Q000453:epidemiology; D010530:Peritoneal Dialysis / Q000009:adverse effects*; D010538:Peritonitis / Q000209:etiology / Q000401:mortality*; D016016:Proportional Hazards Models; D012042:Registries; D012189:Retrospective Studies; D012307:Risk Factors; D015996:Survival Rate / Q000639:trends; D017211:Treatment Failure; D016896:Treatment Outcome