Polypharmacy and frailty in chronic kidney disease

Abstract

The prognoses of various diseases have improved because of progress in the field of medicine and clinical practice guidelines developed in countries around the world. However, polypharmacy and frailty have become a global public health concern because of the increase in longevity. Although polypharmacy and frailty are associated with a broad range of negative outcomes, they occur concurrently in patients with chronic kidney disease (CKD) at a higher rate. Elderly patients with CKD usually require multiple medications to prevent CKD progression and complications, and their conditions are generally complicated. In this article, we outline polypharmacy and frailty, which frequently occur in patients with CKD and introduce notes and approaches to overcome these issues.