51Cr-EDTA measurements of the glomerular filtration rate in patients with sickle cell anaemia and minor renal damage.

Background: Creatinine clearance has been reported to be inaccurate for the estimation of glomerular filtration rate (GFR) in patients with sickle cell anaemia (SCA). Inulin clearance, the reference method for GFR estimation, is impractical for routine use in these patients, and 51Cr-EDTA measurements of the GFR have been rarely reported in this disease.

Methods: In order to obtain reference 51Cr-EDTA values in this disease, we studied 70 patients (40 females; 13-59 years of age, mean: 31.