Frailty in Older Patients with End-Stage Renal Disease and Undergoing Chronic Haemodialysis in Vietnam

Abstract

Background: There is limited evidence on the association between chronic kidney disease (CKD) and frailty in older people in Vietnam. This study aimed to investigate the prevalence of frailty and its impact on mortality in older patients with end-stage renal disease. Method: This is a prospective, observational study performed at two large Dialysis Centres in Vietnam from November 2020 to June 2021. Consecutive older patients diagnosed with end-stage renal disease and on haemodialysis were recruited. Participants’ frailty status was defined by the Clinical Frailty Scale (CFS). The study outcome was all-cause mortality at the sixth month. Results: A total of 175 participants were recruited (mean age 72.4 years, 58.9% female). Using the cut point of CFS ≥ 4, 87.4% of the participants were frail. Mortality at the sixth month was 14.9%, 31.9% in participants with CFS ≥ 7, 12.8% in participants with CFS = 6, 7.5% in participants with CFS from 4 to 5, and 4.5% in participants with CFS ≤ 3 (p = 0.001). Cox regression analysis showed that, compared with the non-frail participants, the probability of death over 6 months was nearly two-fold higher in the mildly frail, three-fold higher in the moderately frail, and nine-fold higher in the severely frail participants. Conclusions: This study demonstrated a very high prevalence of frailty in older patients with end-stage renal disease and dialysis and the significant impact of frailty severity on mortality. Healthcare providers should consider incorporating frailty screening into routine care for older patients with end-stage renal disease and dialysis.