Usefulness of the multidimensional prognostic index (MPI) in the management of older patients with chronic kidney disease

In older patients, given the central role of prognosis in clinical decision-making, there is an urgent need to develop accurate, validated, and rigorously tested prognostic indices. Current data suggest that in older patients not only physical but also psychological, cognitive, functional, nutritional, biological, and social factors may contribute to the increased risk of negative outcomes including institutionalization, hospital-ization, and mortality. Recently, a Multidimensional Prognostic Index (MPI), derived from a standardized comprehensive geriatric assessment that included information from eight domains, i.e. basal and instrumental activities of daily living, cognitive and nutritional status, the risk for pressure sores, comorbidi-ties, drug use, and co-habitation status was effective in predicting short- and long-term all-cause mortality risk in hospitalized patients with various acute and chronic conditions, including chronic kidney disease (CKD). In a consecutive cohort of patients with CKD the MPI accuracy in predicting mortality was significantly higher than the accuracy of the estimated glo-merular filtration rate (eGFR). More recently, findings from hospital-based cohorts suggest that adding MPI information to the eGFR markedly improved the prediction of two-year all-cause mortality in older patients with CKD. While further studies are needed to assess the potential usefulness of this prognostic tool in clinical practice, a multidimensional assessment for all-cause mortality risk prediction should be considered in older patients with CKD. These findings support the concept that considering multidimensional aggregate information is very important for predicting short- and long-term all-cause mortality in older subjects with CKD, and that it may be important for the identification of more suitable management of these patients.