Diagnosis of Chronic Kidney Disease in the Elderly – A Challenge for the Practitioner

"The recent increase in life expectancy is the main argument for a better understanding of the pathophysiological mechanisms underlying aging. These, once known, can provide possible links to therapies to prevent aging or slow down the process. Normal aging is associated with a progressive decrease in the glomerular filtration rate. Accurate estimation of GFR in the elderly is under the suspicion of multiple errors mainly due to sarcopenia and decreased protein intake. Differentiation between chronic kidney disease and the physiological decline of GFR might be a challenge in clinical practice and this has consequences on the evolution and treatment of the numerous comorbidities of the elderly. The current trend to use non-invasive diagnostic techniques explains the need to identify a serological marker to help differentiate between decreased GFR secondary to kidney aging or the development of chronic kidney disease."