eGFR - Estimated Glomerular Filtration Rate (African Am)

High GFR may reflect hyperfiltration, which typically occurs in patients with diabetes mellitus and obesity.

Thus, subgroups of patients at higher cardiovascular risk may have higher GFR than individuals without these cardiovascular risk factors.

Because of its association with cardiovascular risk factors, hyperfiltration may be a marker (but not necessarily a mediator) of future cardiovascular disease.

In the long-term run, hyperfiltration may predispose to glomerular damage and subsequent loss in kidney function, which themselves directly contribute to cardiovascular disease. Prospective clinical data on the association between hyperfiltration, future GFR loss and subsequent cardiovascular disease are scarce.

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What can you do to protect your kidney function?

- Get your kidneys checked at least every year. Your healthcare team will do a simple blood test to find out your eGFR. They will also do a urine albumin-to-creatinine ratio (UACR), which shows if you have protein (albumin) in the urine. Protein in the urine may mean you have kidney damage.

- Control blood pressure if you have high blood pressure.

- Control blood sugar if you have diabetes.

- In general, if you have CKD, avoid non-steroidal anti-inflammatory drugs (NSAIDs) such as ibuprofen and naproxen.

- If you have CKD, tell your healthcare team before having any test that uses contrast dye.

- Do not smoke.

- Exercise and follow a healthy diet that's low in sodium, saturated fat, and sugar, but high in fresh fruits, vegetables, whole grains, lean meats, fish, and poultry. Avoid highly processed foods.

- Stay at a healthy weight. Lose weight if your healthcare team says that you should.

- Discuss any vitamins, minerals, herbs, weight loss or body building supplements with your healthcare team before taking them. Many of these products can hurt your kidneys.

- Make sure that any drugs you take are the right dose for your age and your level of kidney function. You should discuss this with your healthcare team.

References:

- https://academic.oup.com/ndt/article/30/6/869/2325009

- https://www.kidney.org/content/kidney-failure-risk-factor-estimated-glomerular-filtration-rate-egfr

A GFR below 60 for three months indicates chronic kidney disease. While you cannot raise your GFR, you can stop it from getting lower. Some tips include:

- Keeping your blood pressure and cholesterol in the optimal range

- If you have diabetes, controlling your blood glucose level

- Limiting intake of salt, alcohol, and tobacco 

- Eating heart-healthy foods (fruit, vegetables, whole grains)

- Being more physically active

- If you are overweight, losing weight 

eGFR stands for estimated glomerular filtration rate. Your eGFR score is a reflection of your blood test for creatinine, a waste product formed in muscular metabolism. It estimates how well your kidneys are working.