CKD-EPI Creatinine Equation (2021) for Creatinine-based eGFR

The National Kidney Foundation (NKF) and the American Society of Nephrology (ASN) Task Force have developed a calculation for creatinine-based estimated glomerular filtration rate (eGFR) that does not use race as a variable, while maintaining the accuracy of the estimate.¹ Using race in the eGFR equations is no longer considered an acceptable way to estimate GFR.¹ Laboratories are currently changing from the 2009 Chronic Kidney Disease Epidemiology Collaboration (CKD-EPI) creatinine equation, which factored race into the estimate.¹ 

Having an accurate eGFR result is important for diagnosis and management of chronic kidney disease (CKD), guiding dosing and eligibility for certain drugs, determining timing or frequency of nephrologist visits, and assessing eligibility for kidney transplantation (as a recipient or donor) and when to start dialysis.¹

Quest is committed to adopting the recommendations in the final report of the NKF-ASN Task Force to eliminate a race-based calculation in our test reports. We are working on this transition now and expect to complete it across our national lab network by mid-2022.

An online calculator that uses the CKD-EPI Creatinine Equation (2021) is available from the National Kidney Foundation: https://www.kidney.org/professionals/kdoqi/gfr_calculator.

Estimated glomerular filtration rate (eGFR) values determined with this equation may be slightly lower for patients who identify as Black and slightly higher for other races.¹ The change may exceed 10% in younger adults and individuals with low serum creatinine concentrations—this may result in changes in CKD classification.¹