The Clinical Characteristics and Antihypertensive Medications for Mortality of Elderly Hospitalized Hemodialysis patients: a Multicenter Retrospective Study in China

This study aimed to evaluate the clinical characteristics and antihypertensive medications affecting elderly hemodialysis (HD) patient mortality. This retrospective cohort study enrolled patients (>= 18 years old) discharged from 15 tertiary general hospitals in China between January 1, 2009, and December 31, 2011. The characteristics of elderly HD patients (>= 60 years old) and antihypertensive medications for mortality were analyzed. A total of 7135 patients on maintenance HD, including 2738 elderly patients, were enrolled in this study. The mean levels of hemoglobin, albumin, serum calcium, phosphorus, and parathyroid hormone in elderly group were lower than the younger group (P <0.05). The top two reasons for the hospitalization of elderly patients were infection and cardiovascular disease (CVD). We compared the characteristics of 2492 survived elderly maintenance HD patients and 246 patients who died. Aging [odds ratio OR = 1.59, 95% confidence interval (CI): 1.13u2.24] and central venous catheter (CVC) (OR = 1.62, 95% CI: 1.53u1.72) were independently risk factors for mortality in elderly maintenance HD patients. Maintenance HD patients with high levels of hemoglobin (OR = 0.76, 95% CI: 0.73u0.79), albumin (OR = 0.87, 95% CI: 0.77u0.98), uric acid (OR = 0.90, 95% CI: 0.84u0.9) and those taking angiotensin-converting enzyme inhibitor or an angiotensin II receptor blocker (OR = 0.77, 95% CI: 0.58u0.90) had a lower risk of mortality. Other antihypertensive drugs including: -blockers, calcium channel blockers, and a-blockers were not significantly associated with mortality (P 0.05). CVD and infection were the most common causes of hospitalization and/or mortality in elderly HD patients. Age, anemia and malnutrition, use of CVCs, and low level of serum uric acid are the risk factors for mortality in elderly maintenance HD patients. Renin-angiotensin system blockade might provide a benefit in protecting elderly maintenance HD patients from mortality.