Aging and the Kidney

Aging and the Kidney: Possible Mechanisms, Consequences, and Management Strategies demonstrates the link between kidney health, well-being with increased age, and longevity. The kidney contains both regenerative and terminally differentiated cells, is the crossroad for vascular and inflammatory processes, and exerts control over many of the conditions that characterize chronic, progressive, debilitating disease. Efforts to reduce the decline in glomerular filtration rate can improve the quality of life in the aging population. This book is divided into three significant sections: mechanisms of the aging kidney, clinical consequences, and management and prevention.

The first section delves into histological, structural, physiological, and functional changes leading to decline in kidney function with aging. The impact of nutrition and proteomics are also explained. The second section reviews function decline in elderly patients and includes subsections specific to impaired QOL, sleep quality, fall risk, frailty, depression, and sarcopenia. Unique characteristics of hypertension, diabetes, glomerulonephritis, and peripheral vascular disease are also considered. The final section is devoted to diagnostic, management, and prevention strategies. Common myths regarding chronic kidney disease in the elderly are explored, and special attention is paid to how the solitary kidney in living donors ages over time. Kidney function and its relation to neurologic complications, cancers, cardiovascular disease are presented, and current therapeutic approaches, medications, and future directions in elderly patient care are discussed. This complete work offers an invaluable resource for understanding the impact the aging kidney has on systemic health and offers potential pathways to improve lifespan and well-being in elderly patients.

• Covers histological, structural, physiological, and functional changes leading to decline in kidney function with aging
• Summarizes the most up-to-date research on the kidney’s impact on health and lifespan
• Addresses common myths regarding kidney disease in the elderly
• Provides guidance on diagnostic, management, and prevention strategies in kidney health and disease for the aging patient