RENAL-DISEASE IN THE ELDERLY

There are structural and functional changes which take place in the ki dney with age. These changes have an impact on patient management, par ticularly with respect to drug therapy. It is unlikely that glomerulon ephritis is less common in the elderly, and any apparent difference wi th respect to younger patients most likely reflects clinical practice rather than any inherent difference in the aged kidney. Tubulointersti tial nephritis may be more common and is most likely linked to drug th erapy. The management of end-stage renal failure in the elderly should not be significantly different from that in younger patients and shou ld be based on the capacity for rehabilitation rather than any arbitra ry age.