Long-term outcome of coronary events in hemodialysis patients younger and older than 65 years of age

BACKGROUND AND AIM: It has been reported that a coronary event is the leading cause of mortality in HD patients. The aim of this study was to examine and compare prospectively the effect of aging in relation to the in-hospital and the long-term outcome in HD patients with or without revascularization therapy who had experienced a coronary event. STUDY PATIENTS AND METHODS: Seventy consecutive HD patients with coronary events (9 AMI, 48 AP, and 13 CHF) were registered in this study and 69 patients underwent CAG. Patients were classified into elderly (> or = 65, n = 33) and younger (< 65, n = 37) groups based on their ages at the time of the events. Forty-six patients (21 vs 25) underwent initial coronary revascularization therapy. We followed 70 HD patients with coronary events for a mean period of 31 +/- 21 months (range: 1 day to 77 months). RESULTS: A level of 64% of the elderly group and 41% of the younger group experienced coronary events within the first year of HD. The diseased vessels (2.2 vs 1.9 per patient) and stenotic lesions (2.8 vs 2.5 pre patients) were not significantly different between the two groups. The 70-month survival rate was significantly lower (21% vs 65%, p = 0.0423) in the elderly group than in the younger group. The complicated rate of stroke after a major event was significantly higher (14 vs 4, p = 0.0025) in the elderly group than in the younger group. Moreover 21 elderly patients (11 cardiac death, 5 stroke, 4 cancer) and 9 younger patients (8 cardiac death, 1 stroke) died during the 70-month follow-up period. CONCLUSIONS: Coronary events were most frequent in the first year of HD. Long-term survival rate was significantly lower in elderly patients than in younger patients. Cardiac death was the most common cause of death in both groups regardless of performing coronary revascularization. Death due to stroke and cancer was also more common in elderly patients.