What should your GFR be at 70 years old? It may be 70-75 ml/min (+/- 10 ml/min) or less. This compares to the ‘normal’ level of 90-120 ml/min, according to the CKD/GFR classification. But that is a (scientific-ish) estimated average number for people of any age, gender and race. Therefore, not surprisingly, studies show approximately […]
What should your GFR be at 70 years old? Read More »
What is normal GFR? This is an article for those of you who want to know more about normal human GFR (glomerular filtration rate). It is a very controversial area [“Oh no, not another one” CKDEx Ed]. Normal eGFR number is 90-120 ml/min (in adults; according to the CKD/GFR classification – the higher the
What is normal GFR? Read More »
What is a normal creatinine level? 60-120 mcmol/L (micromoles per litre).It is used to assess kidney function – the higher the number, the worse the function. But we need to discuss some background first. What is creatinine? Creatinine (derived from Ancient Greek κρέας (kréas) meaning ‘flesh’) is a waste product that comes from the normal
What is a normal creatinine level? Read More »
What is PTH (parathyroid hormone)? Parathyroid hormone (PTH) is a hormone (chemical) that your parathyroid glands make and release to control the level of calcium in your blood. Calcium is one of the most important and common minerals in your body. PTH also helps control the levels of phosphate (another mineral) and vitamin D (a
What is PTH (parathyroid hormone)? Read More »
How to check kidney blood tests at home – Patient Knows Best We recommend your join an excellent free web service called Patient Knows Best (PKB). It shows your latest blood test results. It can also show (for some people), your letters and medicines, plus information about your diagnoses and treatment. You can also set up
How to check kidney blood tests at home – Patient Knows Best Read More »
How CKD is defined Keep track of your kidney data with PKB It is surprisingly difficult to come up with a simple was of conclusively diagnosing CKD. This is partly as it is quite hard to define. This is partly because chronic kidney disease (CKD) is not a diagnosis. It is a syndrome (group of
How CKD is defined Read More »
Kidney blood tests explained Keep track of your kidney data with PKB In this article, we will explain the commonly measured kidney blood tests, urine and other tests. Minerals Kidney function tests Other electrolytes Liver tests Bone tests Lipids (fats) Haematology (blood). Minerals Sodium (Na) Sodium is a mineral in the blood that is involved
Kidney blood tests explained Read More »
Debates in nephrology: CKD staging system Introduction In 2002, the US National Kidney Foundation (NKF) released a new classification of chronic kidney disease (CKD) (Levey et al, 2003). This classification system represented a new conceptual framework for the diagnosis of CKD, moving away from an diagnosis-based system to a scheme based on disease severity defined
Debates in nephrology: CKD staging system Read More »
What is the urinary albumin-creatinine ratio (uACR)? Albumin is one of the major proteins in the blood and is too large to be filtered by the kidneys. So healthy kidneys keep the albumin in your blood, whilst filtering the creatinine out into the urine. So, there should be very little or no albumin in your
What is the urinary albumin-creatinine ratio (uACR)? Read More »
An ultrasound scan uses ultrasound, or high-frequency sound waves, to create an image (picture) of part of the inside of your body, such as your kidney. It is used in many other branches of medicine to look at other internal organs (like the heart when it is called an echocardiogram, liver, or pelvic organs), or
What is a renal (kidney) ultrasound? Read More »
