According to findings presented at the National Kidney Foundation's 2009 Spring Clinical Meetings, elderly diabetics make up a growing proportion of new dialysis patients. These patients also start dialysis at a younger age and have lower serum creatinine levels than nondiabetic elderly patients. This suggests elderly diabetics have a higher level of renal function when they begin dialysis.
 
Researchers analyzed data from the U.S. Renal Data System and discovered the proportion of patients starting dialysis who were both elderly and diabetic rose from 8.7 percent in 1995 to 13 percent in 2005.

This article originally appeared in the April 2009 issue of Renal Flash.