Skip to main content

Thank you for visiting nature.com. You are using a browser version with limited support for CSS. To obtain the best experience, we recommend you use a more up to date browser (or turn off compatibility mode in Internet Explorer). In the meantime, to ensure continued support, we are displaying the site without styles and JavaScript.

GLOMERULAR FILTRATION RATE

Removal of race from estimation of kidney function

Nature Reviews Nephrology volume 18, pages 201–202 (2022)Cite this article

Subjects

Concerns regarding the incorrect use of race as a biological construct and the resulting negative effect on health equity have led to reconsideration of the inclusion of race in equations for estimating glomerular filtration rate. Now, two studies report that cystatin-C-based equations can accurately estimate glomerular filtration rate independent of race.

Refers to Hsu C. Y. et al. Race, genetic ancestry, and estimating kidney function in CKD. N. Engl. J. Med. 385, 1750–1760 (2021) | Inker, L. A. et al. New creatinine- and cystatin C-based equations to estimate GFR without race. N. Engl. J. Med. 385, 1737–1749 (2021).

This is a preview of subscription content, access via your institution

Access options

Buy article

Get time limited or full article access on ReadCube.

$32.00

Buy

All prices are NET prices.

References

  1. Hsu, C. Y. et al. Race, genetic ancestry, and estimating kidney function in CKD. N. Engl. J. Med. 385, 1750–1760 (2021).

    Article  CAS  Google Scholar 

  2. Inker, L. A. et al. New creatinine- and cystatin C-based equations to estimate GFR without race. N. Engl. J. Med. 385, 1737–1749 (2021).

    Article  CAS  Google Scholar 

  3. Shlipak, M. G. Cystatin C as a marker of glomerular filtration rate in chronic kidney disease: influence of body composition. Nat. Clin. Pract. Nephrol. 3, 188–189 (2007).

    Article  Google Scholar 

  4. Cockcroft, D. W. & Gault, M. H. Prediction of creatinine clearance from serum creatinine. Nephron 16, 31–41 (1976).

    Article  CAS  Google Scholar 

  5. Levey, A. S. et al. A more accurate method to estimate glomerular filtration rate from serum creatinine: a new prediction equation. Ann. Intern. Med. 130, 461–470 (1999).

    Article  CAS  Google Scholar 

  6. Levey, A. S. et al. A new equation to estimate glomerular filtration rate. Ann. Intern. Med. 150, 604–612 (2009).

    Article  Google Scholar 

  7. Inker, L. A. et al. Estimating glomerular filtration rate from serum creatinine and cystatin C. N. Engl. J. Med. 367, 20–29 (2012).

    Article  CAS  Google Scholar 

  8. Delgado, C. et al. A unifying approach for GFR estimation: recommendations of the NKF-ASN task force on reassessing the inclusion of race in diagnosing kidney disease. J. Am. Soc. Nephrol. 32, 2994–3015 (2021).

    Article  CAS  Google Scholar 

  9. Zelnick, L. R., Leca, N., Young, B. & Bansal, N. Association of the estimated glomerular filtration rate with vs without a coefficient for race with time to eligibility for kidney transplant. JAMA Netw. Open 4, e2034004 (2021).

    Article  Google Scholar 

  10. Collins, F. S. & Mansoura, M. K. The Human Genome Project. Revealing the shared inheritance of all humankind. Cancer 91 (Suppl.), 221–225 (2001).

    Article  CAS  Google Scholar 

Download references

Author information

Authors and Affiliations

  1. Justice, Equity, Diversity, and Inclusion Center for Transformational Research, Office of Healthcare Equity, University of Washington, Seattle, WA, USA

    Bessie A. Young

  2. Division of Nephrology, Department of Medicine, University of Washington, Seattle, WA, USA

    Bessie A. Young

Authors
  1. Bessie A. Young
    View author publications

    You can also search for this author in PubMed Google Scholar

Corresponding author

Correspondence to Bessie A. Young.

Ethics declarations

Competing interests

The author declares no competing interests.

Rights and permissions

Reprints and Permissions

About this article

Verify currency and authenticity via CrossMark

Cite this article

Young, B.A. Removal of race from estimation of kidney function. Nat Rev Nephrol 18, 201–202 (2022). https://doi.org/10.1038/s41581-021-00524-1

Download citation

  • Published:

  • Issue Date:

  • DOI: https://doi.org/10.1038/s41581-021-00524-1

This article is cited by

Search

Advanced search

Quick links

Nature Briefing

Sign up for the Nature Briefing newsletter — what matters in science, free to your inbox daily.

Get the most important science stories of the day, free in your inbox. Sign up for Nature Briefing