Gerontolizing Nephrology: Spectrum of Histopathological Findings of Kidney Biopsy in the Elderly

INTRODUCTION: The spectrum of renal disorder in the elderly differs from the younger population. There is a paucity of literature regarding kidney biopsy in elderly. This study aims to highlight the clinical profile and histopathological spectrum of the elderly patient undergoing a renal biopsy. MATERIALS AND METHODS: This retrospective study included all patients (age ≥60 years) undergoing native renal biopsies from January 2012 to December 2017. The clinical profile, laboratory parameters, and renal biopsy findings of these patients were recorded from the case files. RESULTS: Out of 1656 renal biopsies performed during the study period, 230 (13.9%%) performed on the elderly were included. Mean age was 64.02 ± 7.87 years (Range: 60-87 years), and males were predominant (70.4%). The commonest indication for biopsy was nephrotic syndrome (NS) (49.6%) followed by Rapidly progressive renal failure (RPRF) (20.9%) and Acute Kidney Injury (AKI) (15.7%). The most frequent histological diagnosis was membranous nephropathy (15.2%) followed by amyloidosis (13.9%) and Focal Segmental Glomerulosclerosis (FSGS) (13.0%). The commonest cause of NS was MGN (29.8%) followed by FSGS (24.6%) and amyloidosis (22.8%). The commonest cause of nephritic syndrome was Diffuse Proliferative Glomerulonephritis (29.4%) and Membranoproliferative Glomerulonephritis (29.4%). Hypertensive nephrosclerosis (40.0%) and diabetic nephropathy (26.7%)) were the commonest histological diagnosis in the patients who underwent renal biopsy for clinical Chronic kidney disease. Crescentic GN (35.4%) and Myeloma cast nephropathy 14.6%) were the commonest cause of RPRF while Acute Tubular Necrosis (41.7%) was the commonest cause of AKI. None of the patients had major complications. CONCLUSION: Renal biopsy is safe in the elderly and provides a wealth of information with regards to the diagnosis and prognosis of renal disorder.