Confused

[madonbrew]

I haven’t posted here for a while but I am under 3 different hospitals for various health issues & all of them generally check my bloods regularly. What I am confused about is that at 2 hospitals...including my nephrology clinic, my eGFR comes back about 38-40, but at the 3rd hospital which is a university hospital, my gfr always comes back much higher...last time 56...compared to 38. That’s quite a major difference and I never know which one is correct?

[seabreezegirl]

Wow you are correct that is a major difference. Have you taken the labs and showed all three doctors???

I know that different labs can show ( slightly) different levels, but should not be showing this much difference.

[madonbrew in reply to seabreezegirl]

Thanks for your reply.

Hmm, I will check university hospital have everything correct! ...and will take the varying results to my consultant!

[RickHow]

There are different formulas used to estimate your GFR. The two most commonly used are the MDRD and the CKD-EPI. The problem, as I see it, is that they produce DIFFERENT egfr's based upon the same input. For example, I am a 70.75 year old male. My Creatinine level is 1.7. Using the MDRD calculator my egfr is 43. If I use the CKD-EPI Calculator my egfr is 40. Also the CKD-EPI Calculator allows you to enter your own actual height and weight to get a more accurate personalized result. If I enter mine, then my egfr comes out to be 45. So using the same exact measurement of my Creatinine level (1.7) I get THREE different results. 40, 43, 45. Too of them show me as stage 3b. One shows me as stage 3a.

Now the range of difference in your numbers is too significant to just be labs using different formulas. I would suspect that the one which is producing the much higher number has an error in your personal information. They have your age wrong for example. Or race. Here is a link to an egfr calculator (CKD-EPI) by the National Kidney Foundation. Very simple to use. Just enter your Creatinine level, age, sex, race and select "calculate". You will get the result. If you wish there is a line which says "remove body surface". You can change that from no, to yes and then enter your own height and weight. A more accurate result when you select calculate.

Please not that there is a line for race. And it defaults to black. If you are not black be sure to change it to other.

If you have trouble using it, which you shouldn't as it is simple, just give us your creatinine level, sex, race and we can do it for you.

Bottom line, talk to the university and ask them why they get such a higher number, what formula they use, if they have your information wrong (sex, etc.).

[madonbrew in reply to RickHow]

Thank you RickHow! I checked on that calculator and it came back at 40% so I’m guessing like you said, that university hospital have got some of my details wrong.

Will check with them when I go again!