Glomerular Filtration Rate (GFR)

Gomerular Filtration Rate (GFR) is an indicator of renal function. GFR is used in day-to-day clinical practice to evaluate the function of the kidneys, progression of renal disease, effect of different treatments, classification of patients in stages of chronic kidney disease, dosing of potentially toxic drugs, etc. In fact, GFR is necessary to take clinical decisions.

In clinical trials, GFR or GFR decline over time are frequently the outcomes of studies aimed at preventing renal disease and progression.

GFR can be either estimated by formulas or measured by gold standard procedures. Unfortunately, the estimation by formulas is not a reliable procedure. The average error of any formula (using creatinine or cystatin-c) is ± 30% or real renal function. This strongly limits the use of formulas in clinical practice or research.

The major aim of LFR is to facilitate and disseminate the use of a gold standard method to measure GFR -the plasma clearance of iohexol- in clinical practice and research. We have simplified the method using DBS, which represent a major step forward in the measurement of GFR.