Prevalence of decreased glomerular filtration rate in patients seeking non-nephrological medical care--an evaluation using IDMS-traceable creatinine based MDRD as well as Mayo Clinic quadratic equation estimates.

Background: Data on the prevalence of decreased glomerular filtration rate in Europe are limited. Most of the available studies did not employ laboratory methods providing creatinine concentrations traceable to the reference method, i.e. isotope dilution mass spectrometry (IDMS).

Methods: We therefore conducted a cross-sectional study in the principality of Liechtenstein consecutively enrolling adult patients seeking non-nephrological medical care from whom serum samples were referred for renal function assessment. All measurements were done in one central laboratory. The estimated glomerular filtration rate (eGFR) was calculated based on the determination of IDMS-traceable creatinine by a kinetic Jaffe method (Roche Diagnostics, Switzerland) by means of the MDRD and Mayo Clinic quadratic equations. We further estimated the incidence of end stage renal disease during the next 5 years.

Results: For 43% (n=9378) of the entire population>or=25 years renal function assessment was available. An eGFR indicating chronic kidney disease (CKD) stages 3-5 was found in 4.93% when using the MDRD equation and in 3.98 % when using the Mayo Clinic quadratic equation. The two equations had a very good agreement in classifying patients to have an eGFR consistent with CKD stages 3-5 (Cohen's kappa 0.887). Further calculations suggested that among patients aged 80 or younger, annually 42 per 100,000 are going to develop an eGFR<15 ml/min/1.73 m2 over the next 5 years.

Conclusions: 4-5% of patients seeking non-nephrological medical advice have an eGFR consistent with CKD stages 3-5, and a considerable number of subjects is expected to develop end stage renal disease over a 5 year period. In order to obtain comparable kidney function estimates among different institutions it is not only important to use standardized methods to measure creatinine but rather to employ standardized methods to calculate a GFR estimate.