Hi,
Thank you for your question.
Age is one of the factors determining the type of dialysis, but more important than age, in my experience, it is the fitness, fragility, frailty, nutrition and mobility of the patient what matters the most; either due to age or the impact that accompanying medical conditions have like heart problems, arthritis, amputations, lung disease, blindness.
I have met patients over 80 years all which are fitter than even 40 or 50 years old ones, because disease and lifestyle takes a huge toll on people’s health, lifespan and quality of life.
An important factor to consider is heart function as haemodialysis imposes more workload to the heart than peritoneal dialysis, and doctors tend to advise patients with severe heart problems to consider peritoneal dialysis which is softer for the heart, but also brings along other issues. Overall, there is no perfect therapy. You need to consider many factors when choosing a modality of dialysis, including medical, personal, social and economic factors. I advise you to read my answer in relation to this in one of the questions of this series.
So, your uncle might be fit for dialysis or for any modality if he is still in good general condition.
A proper and a thorough assessment by a nephrologist and a cardiologist is typically recommended, and in occasions by many other specialists.
Dr Francisco, wishing your uncle the best possible health despite kidney failure.
