Challenges of Undergoing Dialysis With Emphasis on Aging Syndromes in the Elderly

Objectives Dialysis is a therapeutic method suitable for elderly people with chronic renal failure. However, the patient faces with multiple challenges. This study explores the challenges of elderly people with dialysis for better identification and prevention of its side effects.
Methods & Materials In this study, a comprehensive search of electronic databases of PubMed, Web of science, ProQuest, Scopus, Elsevier, Google scholar, and IranMedex was conducted using the key words "Aged," "Renal dialysis," "challenges," and “elderly syndromes" with no time limitation until the end of 2015.
Results Elderly people undergoing dialysis have multiple physical and mental problems. They consume more drugs and have comorbidity compared to young people. This leads to lower quality of life in them compared to other age groups. Elderly people under dialysis experience more challenges, such as aging syndromes (including falls, functional disability, frailty, and cognitive impairment) compared to healthy people. The prevalence of these disorders is more in the elderly people undergoing dialysis leading to disability and loss of independence and increased mortality rate.
Conclusion The number of elderly people undergoing dialysis has increased, and it seems that we need to know more about the problems of this age group. With the increasing awareness and knowledge about these problems, we can plan prevention, care, and rehabilitation programs for the elderly people with dialysis.