Abstract
Older adults are the fastest growing segment of the US dialysis population with about 50% of the patients older than 65 years. This trend is expected to increase as the US population ages and as survival on dialysis improves. There are many challenges for dietitians who are responsible for assessing and managing the nutritional status of elderly dialysis patients. This article addresses these issues and identifies the risk factors associated with poor nutritional status in elderly dialysis patients. In addition, the methods used to assess and manage the nutritional status of this cohort and the nutrient requirements for optimizing nutritional status are presented.
ELDERLY individuals older than 65 years represent the fastest growing segment of the US population, a trend that will continue into the foreseeable future. This shift in the demographic profile of the population places significant demands on the health care system because, as a person ages, the likelihood of developing chronic disease such as end stage kidney disease (ESKD) increases. Today, older adults represent approximately 50% of the dialysis population in the United States,1 and this trend is expected to continue as survival on dialysis improves because of advances in dialysis technology and the provision of adequate dialysis. The purpose of this article is (1) to identify the risk factors associated with poor nutritional status in dialysis patients; (2) to describe methods used to assess and manage their nutritional status; and (3) to review the nutrient requirements for optimizing nutritional status in this cohort.