OBJETIVES: There is already some degree of evidence about the greater capacity of adaptation to RRT of elderly patients vs. the younger ones. The objective of the present study was to assess the differences in HRQoL between elderly patients (³65 years) and younger ones on hemodialysis and renal transplantation during the first two years. METHODS: Longitudinal prospective study of 199 patients starting RRT. HRQoL was assessed using the SF-36 health survey at three, 12 and 24 months from the start of RRT. PCS, MCS and standardised scores by age and sex were obtained using Spanish general population norms. The t-student test for unpaired samples was used to compare HRQol of elderly and younger at each moment. RESULTS: Preliminary data of 144 patients collected at three months, of 118 at 12 months and of 76 at 24 months are presented. Mean age was 63.5(14.31) and 60.5% were elderly patients. At three months, all patients were on hemodialysis; elderly patients had lower loss of HRQoL in Physical Functioning (p=0.039), Role Physical (p=0.005), General Health (p<0.0001), Role Emotional (p=0.014), and PCS (p=0.048), than younger ones. At 12 months, elderly transplanted patients had lower loss of HRQoL in Physical Functioning (p=0.018), General Health(p=0.021) and Vitality (p=0.067),and elderly patients on hemodialysis had less loss of HRQL in Physical Functioning(p=0.002), Role physical(p=0.044), Bodily Pain(p=0.015), General Health (p=0.001), Mental Health( p=0.034) and PCS(p=0.007). At 24 months, elderly transplanted patients had less loss of HRQoL in Physical Functioning(p=0.017) Bodily Pain (p=0.025), General Health (p=0.027). CONCLUSIONS: It’s the first time that it is demonstrated that, using standardised scores by age and gender, elderly patients have less loss of HRQoL than the younger ones during the first year on RRT.