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Older adults with heart ailments have high rate of kidney disease

Category: Kidney Diseases

Older individuals who suffer from heart disease may benefit from kidney testing, as new research from Tufts Medical Center shows that kidney disease is common in elderly individuals with poor heart health.

The researchers described chronic kidney disease as a major public health concern, as it can have a significant impact on an individual's quality of life and be very expensive to treat. They said that giving doctors a better idea of patients who are at risk for the condition could help them make lifestyle recommendations that may enable individuals to avoid it.

For the study, the researchers examined the medical records of 1,020 80-year-olds who were being treated for heart conditions. The results showed that 33 to 51 percent of the participants showed signs of chronic kidney disease depending on the measure used.

Despite the wide range of possible kidney disease found in the participants, the researchers said the findings still show a high prevalence of the disease among older heart disease patients. Kidney testing may reveal any problems among older patients who have already shown that they are at risk.