Nephrology and Urology in the Aged Patient

The present volume provides overviews of aging and changes in renal function over time; it devotes chapters to renal parenchymal disease and urinary tract infections; and the sections on geriatric urology cover urinary incontinence and urinary-tract neoplasm, including prostatic cancer. The book summarizes current information on renal replacement therapy in the elderly and reviews such important topics as hemodialysis, peritoneal dialysis, fluid and acid-base abnormalities as they are seen in older patients, and transplantation in the elderly. Concerning medical care of older nephrology patients, the contributors have reviewed the management of hypertension, current understanding of glomerular disease, current approaches to the diabetic with renal disease, and use of antineoplastic and antimicrobial therapy, all in these special patients. They discuss the prevention of renal failure in older patients, both in diagnostic and therapeutic aspects, and examine sexual dysfunction and indications for surgery in the older patient with obstruction. Finally, the text examines such ethical issues as the use of advanced directives and the allocation of scarce resources.