Stage 5 Kidney Failure Life Expectancy

Stage 5 kidney failure is also known as end stage renal disease (ESRD) in which less than 10-15% kidney functions are left. Usually at this advanced stage, dialysis or kidney transplant will be sought or the patient can have life risk at any time.

If left untreated, stage 5 kidney failure patients may have another weeks or months to live according to the underlying cause of kidney failure, the severity of kidney damages and other complications such as heart problems. Of cause, if the underlying cause is well controlled, the progression can be slowed or even halted so that patients can stay in this stage for a long time.

The average life span for end stage renal failure patients that are on dialysis is about 3-5 years. The mortality rate for stage 5 kidney failure is about 22% annually, that means it is hard to have life expectancy longer than 5 years. According to the statistics, about 25% dialysis patients will die after 1 years and the mortality rate is increased to 60% after 5 years. But there are indeed many patients that are surviving more than 5 years or even longer, that is why your doctor can not tell you the exact life time you may survive.

If patient stop dialysis without receiving other treatment, 20% patients will die. And if kidney transplant or other treatment is sought, the life expectancy can be prolonged. Kidney transplant can double or even triple the life span for the patients than mere dialysis.

Besides treatment options, many factors can affect or even determine the life expectancy of end stage renal failure patients. For example, we know that the mortality rate for kidney failure patients is 22% with dialysis. If the patients have at the same time diabetes and the blood sugar is not well controlled, the mortality rate will be increased to 25%. If the patients have heart failure, the mortality rate is further increased to 30% or even 40%. It is often the case that the cause of death for kidney failure patients is not the kidney problems but other complications among which heart failure is the leading cause. Therefore it is very important for end stage renal failure patients to bring their blood pressure and blood sugar well under control. This can help slow down the decline rate of renal functions and improve life expectancy.