Chronic kidney disease, frailty, and unsuccessful aging: a review.

The global prevalence of chronic kidney disease (CKD) is rising, particularly among the elderly population. Defining aging as successful or unsuccessful has become clinically relevant in the last 15 years, with an increased recognition of the frail phenotype. Frailty has been shown to be associated with CKD and poorer outcomes, such as death or dialysis. It is likely that the mechanisms of disease in CKD such as altered protein metabolism, inflammation, oxidative stress, and anemia accelerate normal aging and lead to worsening frailty in elderly patients with CKD.