What is GFR in Your Renal Function Test

GFR is the short term of glomerular filtration rate. It is the best test to measure the levels of your kidney function and determine the stage of kidney disease that you are in. The value of GFR can be calculated from the results of your blood creatinine test, your age, race, gender and other factors.

GFR is the best way to reflect that how much kidney function we have. Generally, according to international standard, Chronic Kidney Disease can be divided into five stages according to different value range of GFR. When GFR is more than 90ml/min/1.73m2, this is the first stage of Chronic Kidney Disease; and it is stage 2 in the range of 60 ml/min/1.73m2 to 89 ml/min/1.73m2; then stage 3 in the range of 30 ml/min/1.73m2 to 59 ml/min/1.73m2; stage 4 in the range of 15 ml/min/1.73m2 to 29 ml/min/1.73m2 and stage 5 when GFR is lower than 15 ml/min/1.73m2.

In most countries, doctors and hospitals do not offer treatment suggestions for patients who are in the first stage of Chronic Kidney Disease because they think this range is a normal range and there is no symptom in this stage. Even in some countries, they do not offer treatment until GFR is lower than 30 ml/min/1.73m2 which refers to the fourth stage or even fifth stage and the only treatment they suggest is dialysis or kidney transplant. Actually, even in the first or second stage, there is minimal kidney damage which is too tiny to attract attention from patients. However, this stage is just the best treatment for Kidney Disease because patients who are in these first two stages have really great possibility of recovering to normal condition. But most patients usually ignore this disease in this period because there can be no symptoms and their kidneys can maintain their life normally. In most cases, patients begin to pay enough attention on their disease when they are diagnosed as Chronic Renal Failure which refers to that their GFR is less than 60ml/min/1.73m2.


Here, we remind all patients that should pat high attention on their GFR level even it is more than 60ml/min/1.73m2 or 90ml/min/1.73m2. The earlier the disease can be detected and treatment, the better final therapeutic effect and prognosis can be got. If you need more information about this, you can email to kidney-treatment@hotmail.com or consult us online freely.