THURSDAY, SEPT. 11, 2014
11:30 a.m.
William McClellan, MD, Emory University

Currently, kidney disease severity can be classified by estimated glomerular filtration rate (GFR) and albuminuria, but more accurate information regarding risk for progression to kidney failure is required for clinical decisions about testing, treatment, and referral. A new, international study from the Chronic Kidney Disease (CKD) Prognosis Consortium found that use of blood levels of cystatin C to estimate kidney function—alone or in combination with creatinine—strengthens the association between kidney function and risks of death and end-stage renal disease. This session will discuss better methods for identifying the subset of patients who are at the highest risk of adverse outcomes and how this could be useful for clinicians and other decision makers.

Learning Objectives:

1. Evaluate whether combining creatinine, cystatin C, and urine albunin-to-creatinine ratio (ACR) would improve identification of risks associated with CKD compared with creatinine alone.
2. Describe the patient populations that would most benefit from using cystatin C in GFR-estimating equations.
3. Review whether cystatin C has the potential to make estimates of GFR more accurate.
4. Discuss the limitations of estimated GFR creatinine alone for risk predication of CKD.