Using an updated chronic kidney disease calculator could reduce unnecessary diagnoses and nephrology referrals, researchers have argued in The Medical Journal Australia.

The researchers compared the 2009 and 2021 versions of the Chronic Kidney Disease Epidemiology Collaboration (CKD-EPI) equation, using data from the ASPirin in Reducing Events in the Elderly (ASPREE) study, which followed over 16,000 Australians aged 70 and above. 

The 2021 CKD-EPI, already used in the US, removed race as a variable and slightly adjusted the application of serum creatinine levels, generally leading to higher eGFR values.

The researchers from Monash University in Melbourne found that using the 2021 equation resulted in a median increase in eGFR values of 3.8mL/min/1.73m².