Comparison of different methods of estimation of glomerular filtration rate

Abstract

Introduction:Glomerular filtration rate (GFR)- measures how much blood is filtered by the kidneys each minute and is considered as the best overall indicator for how well an individual's kidneys are functioning at a given moment. Purpose: To bring out the difference between estimation of GFR via commonly used different methods and compare them. Material and methods:Study design - descriptive. WHO information sources, scientific papers from the PubMed database were studied using the selected keywords. Results:Smith's classical technique for GFR assessment, urinary clearance of inulin, remains the reference against which alternative clearance techniques and filtration indicators are assessed. Conclusions: There are many methods used to measure the GFR, depending on the clinical application and availability. Although using inulin is still the gold standard, due to being a cumbersome technique, clinicians usually estimate the GFR using serum creatinine and/or cystatin C.