Dialysis Life Expectancy by Age;- Kidney disease reduces life expectancy. How much is the discount? It depends on several factors, especially the person’s age, gender, and stage of the disease. Questions like these were first answered less than a decade ago. But thanks to a massive amount of research, doctors now have an excellent picture of the outlook for kidney disease.
However, it is important to keep in mind that everyone is different – not just in terms of personality, but in terms of genes, current health status, etc. Life expectancy estimates can’t make any guarantees, but they may give you an overview.
Stages of kidney disease | Dialysis Life Expectancy by Age
How many stages of kidney disease are there? It’s a bit complicated. While there are five primary stages of kidney disease, the third stage can be divided into two sub-stages. Each stage is determined by measuring the glomerular filtration rate (GFR), which is used to indicate how well the kidneys are working.
Stage 1 and 2: Early warnings
Stage 1 refers to a person with a normal glomerular filtration rate of 90 ml/min or more. The second stage is indicated by a GFR between 60-89 mL/min, which is the time when minor symptoms tend to appear. In these stages, kidney disease can be detected before it causes any significant damage.
Stage 3, 4 and 5: Approaching kidney failure
It is the third stage that marks the point at which mortality becomes a greater concern than the possibility of end stage renal disease. With decreased renal function between 59-30 ml/min, secondary symptoms prior to stage II become more severe. From the end of stage 3, only 15 points of kidney function stand between entering stage 5, indicating total renal failure.
Life expectancy by sex
Like anything else, the life expectancy of kidney disease depends on a person’s age and gender.
For a 60-year-old man, the average life expectancy for stage 1 kidney disease would be about 15 years. This number drops to 13 years, 8 years, and 6 years for stages 2, 3, and 4 of kidney disease, respectively. For a 60-year-old woman, the life expectancy for the first stage is 18 years, while for the second stage it is reduced by only one year. For stage 3 kidney disease, her life expectancy would be 11 years.
In short, women have a slightly greater life expectancy at all ages. But during stages 4 and 5, these advantages disappear and life expectancy becomes essentially identical between the sexes.
Life expectancy by age
Age changes everything. Consider the life expectancy of men and women who are 70 years old. For a 70-year-old man, the average life expectancy for the first four stages of kidney disease would be 9 years, 8 years, 6 years, and 4 years, respectively.
For a 70-year-old woman, the average life expectancy is 11 years, 8 years, and 4 years. Again, women start out with a greater life expectancy, but the differences disappear at later stages of the disease.
Level five
Stage 5 kidney disease means total kidney failure and the necessity of dialysis. Five decades ago, kidney failure meant death was likely. These days, things are a little different. According to the National Kidney Foundation, the average life expectancy for a dialysis patient is 5-10 years. Although for someone between the ages of 70 and 74, life expectancy is close to four years on dialysis.
Maintain kidney health
Age and health problems can impair your ability to tolerate kidney disease. Although there is no cure, there are things you can do to learn how to manage kidney disease.
If there’s one thing this data should make clear, it’s that taking a few simple steps to prevent the progression of kidney disease will not only keep you healthy, but can help save years of life.
1 thought on “Dialysis Life Expectancy by Age”