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Should renal biopsies be performed in the very elderly?

Nature Reviews Nephrology volume 5, pages 561–562 (2009)Cite this article

As the population ages, more elderly people are developing kidney disease. Nephrologists are often reluctant to perform renal biopsy in elderly patients, but in many cases, the diagnostic benefits of this procedure outweigh the risks.

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Figure 1: Glomerulus showing segmental necrosis with destruction of some capillary basement membranes and prominent cellular crescent formation.

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Authors and Affiliations

  1. Department of Medicine University of Washington, Seattle, WA, USA

    J. Ashley Jefferson

  2. Department of Medicine and Pathology, University of Washington, Seattle, WA, USA

    Charles E. Alpers

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  1. J. Ashley Jefferson
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  2. Charles E. Alpers
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Correspondence to J. Ashley Jefferson.

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The authors declare no competing financial interests.

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Jefferson, J., Alpers, C. Should renal biopsies be performed in the very elderly?. Nat Rev Nephrol 5, 561–562 (2009). https://doi.org/10.1038/nrneph.2009.145

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