Comparison of Two Formulas for Estimating Glomerular Filtration Rate

The Modification of Diet in Renal Disease (MDRD) formula is the most common method used for estimating glomerular filtration rate (GFR) in the U.S. (92% of clinical laboratories). However, a newer method, the Chronic Kidney Disease Epidemiology Collaboration (CKD-EPI) formula, is more accurate in selected populations. Researchers compared how well the two equations predicted renal-related mortality in 45 different cohorts (1.1 million adult patients, many in general-population cohorts).

GFR was classified into six categories, ranging from <15 mL/minute/1.73 m² to ≥90 mL/minute/1.73 m². Compared with the MDRD method, the CKD-EPI equation reclassified 24.4% of participants into higher (better) GFR categories and 0.6% into lower categories. Dur…