Introduction:

In recent years, due to the inclusion of increasingly older patients with chronic kidney disease in renal replacement therapy, conservative renal treatment has been offered as another option, with results similar in some series to dialysis treatment.

Objective:

To review the existing scientific literature on conservative renal treatment in patients with chronic kidney disease, their survival and quality of life.

Methodology:

A systematic review was carried out. The databases PubMed, ProQuest, Scielo and Scopus were searched. We included scientific articles in Spanish and English, and available full text. Articles dealing with renal patients with end-stage renal disease, treated with palliative treatment alone or in comparison with renal replacement therapy were analysed.

Results:

Fifteen articles published between 2010 and 2020 were included. Chronic kidney disease is a problem of high prevalence in our population; a fact that conditions renal function replacement treatments. Conservative renal treatment emerges as an option to renal replacement therapy in older patients or those with a short life expectancy. Among the factors to be taken into account are survival and quality of life.

Conclusions:

In patients with chronic kidney disease on renal replacement therapy, survival is higher, although with a poorer quality of life, while in the case of conservative renal treatment it is usually the opposite. In patients over 75-80 years of age, survival is equal, and it is necessary to enhance quality of life and palliate the symptoms of the disease.