Background
Frailty is an additional clinical and economic burden in the setting of chronic kidney disease (CKD). In this study, we aimed to determine the frequency and the risk factors for the occurrence of frailty in nondialyzable CKD geriatric patients' (stages 3–4).
Patients and methods
We conducted a cross-sectional, analytical study, which included consecutive patients with CKD, who attended the Nephrology Unit of Assiut University Hospital from April 2017 to April 2020. The total number of cases is 77 (21 of the control group and 56 of the patient group). Geriatric patients with aged more than or equal to 60 years and CKD stages 3–4 nondialysis dependent patients were included. The patients will be followed-up for 1 year.
Results
In terms of the frequency of frailty in geriatric CKD patients, the present study showed that 14.3% of the nondialyzable geriatric CKD patients had frailty. Regarding the predictors of frailty, the present study showed that nondialysis patients with frailty had significantly lower hemoglobin, mean corpuscular volume, mean corpuscular hemoglobin, platelet count, lymphocyte count, monocyte count, higher blood urea, higher serum creatinine, and higher basophil count. Notably, a lower serum magnesium level was noticed in the frail group.
Conclusion
In conclusion, frailty is not common in geriatric nondialysis dependent CKD patients. Independent risk factors for frailty in CKD include low serum magnesium and high serum creatinine.