Q: My 74 years old uncle has a chronic kidney disease (CKD) and we are unable to decide whether he should go for dialysis or renal transplantation. Can renal transplantation be performed at this age? If yes, what is the success rate? If renal transplant cannot be considered then we think that home dialysis is the best option for him. Can he take the home dialysis system? Please advise.

A:Old age is not a contraindication for receiving a kidney transplant. However, based upon assessment of the concerned patient's medical history (including presence of other chronic diseases like heart disease), a physician would need to assess whether the patient would benefit from transplant rather than staying on dialysis. This is due to other diseases interfering with a successful functioning of kidney transplant. There is no clear data with regard to time duration of successful post-transplant at age 70 plus. Dialysis can certainly be considered at home, called as peritoneal dialysis. However suitability of mode of dialysis for an elderly patient needs to be assessed by patient's nephrologist.