Adverse outcomes of chronic kidney disease (CKD) can often be prevented or delayed through early detection and treatment.
Who It's For
The eGFR is a value based on a patient's serum creatinine, age, gender, and race. This calculation only applies to patients 18 years and older and provides results for both African and non-African Americans.
Cigna advises physicians to automatically include the eGFR on lab reports for its participants when a serum creatinine has been requested and the age and gender is provided. Since a separate lab test is not required, including the eGFR won't increase the cost of the lab test.
National Kidney Foundation Guidelines
Among patients with chronic kidney disease, the stage of disease should be assigned based on the level of kidney function, irrespective of diagnosis, as described by the National Kidney Foundation Kidney Disease Outcomes Quality Initiative (NKF KDOQI) CKD Classification. View NKF KDOQI guidelines for more recommendations and resources on how to improve care of patients with CKD.
National Kidney Foundation CKD Classification
| Stage Description | eGFR (mL/min/1.73m2) | |
|---|---|---|
| Stage 1 | Kidney damage with normal GFR | = or > 90 |
| Stage 2 | Kidney damage with mild decrease in GFR | 60 - 89 |
| Stage 3 | Kidney damage with moderate decrease in GFR | 30 - 59 |
| Stage 4 | Kidney damage with severe decrease in GFR | 15 - 29 |
| Stage 5 | Kidney failure | > 15 |
Patients with CKD should be referred to a specialist for consultation and co-management if:
- The clinical action plan cannot be prepared
- The prescribed evaluation of the patient cannot be carried out, or
- The recommended treatment cannot be carried out
In general, patients with GFR; 30 mL/min/1.73m2 should be referred to a nephrologist. However, patients with eGFR results between 30 and 60 mL/min/1.73m2 should be evaluated for the presence of urine microalbumin and other risk factors associated with CKD such as hypertension and diabetes.
