Author Interviews, Kidney Disease, Race/Ethnic Diversity / 13.01.2022
ESKD: Tulane Study Finds Excellent Performance of KFRE Score in Predicting 2-year Risk
MedicalResearch.com Interview with:
Joshua D. Bundy, PhD, MPH
Department of Epidemiology
Tulane University School of Public Health and Tropical Medicine and
Tulane University Translational Science Institute
New Orleans Louisiana
MedicalResearch.com: What is the background for this study? What is included in the KFRE score?
Response: Kidney function is quantified using estimated glomerular filtration rate (eGFR), which is often calculated in clinical practice using filtration markers like serum creatinine and/or cystatin C, and patient characteristics like age, sex, and race. Recently, new eGFR equations were created that remove race adjustment because of concerns that using a patient’s race may perpetuate racial inequities in healthcare delivery. The Kidney Failure Risk Equation (KFRE) is the most commonly-used tool to predict end-stage kidney disease (ESKD) risk and includes age, sex, eGFR, and urinary albumin-creatinine ratio. We sought to evaluate the impact of removing race from eGFR on prediction of ESKD. (more…)