What is the life expectancy of someone with end-stage kidney disease?
Many people with ESRD who receive dialysis regularly or have a kidney transplant can often live long, healthy, active lives. The life expectancy for a person receiving dialysis is around 5–10 years, though many live for 20–30 years.
Once the patient reaches end stage renal disease (ESRD), death usually occurs within a few weeks. This can be longer or shorter depending on the patient's overall health, and how much kidney function they have left.
End-stage kidney disease leads to death if you do not have dialysis or a kidney transplant.
Your kidneys have a glomerular filtration rate (GFR) of less than 15 mL/min/1.73 m2 at this stage. From anecdotal reports and studies, the average life span of patients with stage 5 kidney disease ranges from 5-10 years. However, patients have lived for up to 20 years with the help of dialysis.
End-stage renal failure, also known as end-stage renal disease (ESRD), is the final, permanent stage of chronic kidney disease, where kidney function has declined to the point that the kidneys can no longer function on their own.
Without life-sustaining dialysis or a kidney transplant, once a person with kidney disease reaches stage 5 (end stage renal disease or ESRD), toxins build up in the body and death usually comes within a few weeks.
This varies from person to person. People who stop dialysis may live anywhere from one week to several weeks, depending on the amount of kidney function they have left and their overall medical condition.
The mortality rates for patients with end-stage renal disease are significantly higher than those without the disease. Even with timely dialysis, the death rates vary from 20% to 50% over 24 months. The most common cause of death is hyperkalemia, followed by adverse cardiac events.
Typically, hospice for renal disease is designed for patients with a life expectancy of 6 months or less. Patients entering hospice must not be pursuing curative treatment for the disease. This includes treatment options such as dialysis and kidney transplants.
The most common cause of death overall in the dialysis population is cardiovascular disease; cardiovascular mortality is 10-20 times higher in dialysis patients than in the general population.
How fast does kidney disease progress?
Kidney disease progresses at different rates for different people, and it can take between two and five years to pass between different stages. Kidney disease stages are measured by using a blood test to check the estimated glomerular filtration rate (eGFR).
In Stage 5 CKD, you have an eGFR of less than 15. You may also have protein in your urine (i.e., your pee). Stage 5 CKD means your kidneys are getting very close to failure or have already failed. Kidney failure is also called end-stage renal disease (ESRD) and end-stage kidney disease (ESKD).
Stage Five
According to the National Kidney Foundation, the average life expectancy for a patient on dialysis is 5-10 years. Though for someone between the ages of 70 and 74, life expectancy is closer to four years on dialysis.
- Itchy skin or rashes.
- Muscle cramps.
- Feeling sick to your stomach or throwing up.
- Not feeling hungry than normal.
- Swelling in your feet and ankles.
- Urinating (peeing) more or less than normal.
- Foamy, frothy or bubbly-looking urine.
- Trouble catching your breath.
The rate of sudden cardiac death increases as the stage of CKD increases and could be responsible for 60% of cardiac deaths in patients undergoing dialysis. In hemodialysis units treating patients with CKD, cardiac arrest occurs at a rate of seven arrests per 100,000 hemodialysis sessions.
Avoid processed meats, such as ham, bacon, sausage and lunch meats. Munch on fresh fruits and vegetables rather than crackers or other salty snacks. Avoid pickled foods, such as olives and pickles. Limit high-sodium condiments, such as soy sauce, BBQ sauce and ketchup.
Healthy kidneys remove wastes and extra fluid from your blood. But when your kidneys fail, wastes and excess fluid can build up in your blood and make you feel sick. Once you begin treatment for kidney failure, your symptoms will improve, and you will start to feel much better.
Life Expectancy of Elderly Adults on Dialysis
Kidney dialysis life expectancy in the elderly depends on other medical conditions and how well they follow their treatment plan. The average life expectancy is 5-10 years but many live on dialysis for 20 or 30 years.
At Stage 5 CKD, there is usually no cure and you cannot reverse the damage to kidney function. There are treatment options for kidney failure that can help you live life.
