Normal GFR
When GFR is over 60
GFR over 90mls/min/1.73m2 is normal unless there is other evidence of kidney disease, in which case CKD is stage 1. Other evidence of kidney disease may include:
- Proteinuria or haematuria
- A genetic diagnosis of kidney disease (e.g. known to be have a disease such as polycystic kidney disease)
- Evidence of structurally abnormal kidneys (e.g. reflux nephropathy, renal dysgenesis).
If any of these are present, CKD stage is 1. More about Stages 1 CKD.
If GFR is 60-90 mls/min/1.73m2, the definition of CKD also requires one of the above features to be present, in which case CKD stage is 2. Because eGFR estimation is not very accurate at near-normal levels of kidney function, many labs only report eGFR >60, in which case it is not possible to tell apart stages 1 and 2 CKD. This doesn't matter as the things to do are just the same for stages 1 and 2. More about Stages 1 and 2 CKD.
Where any CKD stage classification is based on eGFR (estimated GFR):
- Remember that eGFR is an estimate (more info on eGFR).
- Was race included in the estimation? (if not, add 21% if black)
Patient information
Normal kidney function is a GFR of about 100, but eGFR results may only be shown as >60 or >90 (more than 60 or more than 90). Other abnormalities such as having blood or protein in the urine on testing may lead to a diagnosis of CKD despite normal or nearly-normal GFR.