Clinical outcomes between elderly ESKD patients under peritoneal dialysis and hemodialysis: a national cohort study

With ageing populations, new elderly end-stage kidney disease (ESKD) cases rise. Unlike younger patients, elderly ESKD patients are less likely to undergo kidney transplant, and therefore the decision of receiving peritoneal dialysis (PD) and hemodialysis (HD) is more crucial. A total of 36,852 patients, aged more than 65, who were newly diagnosed with ESKD and initiated renal replacement therapy between 2013 and 2019 were identified. These patients were categorized into two groups: the PD group and the HD group according to their long-term renal replacement treatment. After propensity score matching, the PD group (n = 1628) displayed a lower incidence of major adverse cardiac and cerebrovascular events (MACCE) (10.09% vs. 13.03%, hazard ratio (HR): 0.74, 95% confidence interval (CI): 0.66–0.83), malignancy (1.23% vs. 2.14%, HR: 0.55, 95% CI: 0.40–0.76), and MACCE-associated mortality (1.35% vs. 2.25%, HR: 0.62, 95% CI: 0.46–0.84) compared to the HD group (n = 6512). However, the PD group demonstrated a higher rate of infection (34.09% vs. 24.14%, HR: 1.28, 95% CI: 1.20–1.37). The risks of all-cause mortality and infection-associated mortality were not different. This study may provide valuable clinical information to assist elderly ESKD patients to choose HD or PD as their renal replacement therapy.