Authors: Del Giudice A, Aucella F
Abstract
Structural and functional alterations affecting the aging kidney predispose to an increased risk of acute renal failure (ARF) in the elderly. This is a common problem becoming more relevant because of an increase in life expectancy. The epidemiology of ARF in the elderly is far from being well assessed, because of the lack of uniform definition criteria, variable etiology, coexistence of several comorbidities, and the various clinical settings and geographic areas where the condition is managed, with a higher incidence in developed regions where elderly patients predominate. In 2004, the Acute Dialysis Quality Initiative group proposed the RIFLE criteria for diagnosis and stratification of ARF. More recently, the Acute Kidney Injury Networ...