[Consensus document: recommendations for the use of equations to estimate glomerular filtration rate in children]

Abstract

The appearance of the K/DOQI guidelines in 2002 on the definition, evaluation and staging of chronic kidney disease (CKD) have led to a major change in how to assess renal function in adults and children. These guidelines, recently updated, recommended that the study of renal function is based, not only on measuring the serum creatinine concentration, but this must be accompanied by the estimation of glomerular filtration rate (GFR) obtained by an equation. However, the implementation of this recommendation in the clinical laboratory reports in the paediatric population has been negligible. Numerous studies have appeared in recent years on the importance of screening and monitoring of patients with CKD, the emergence of new equations for estimating GFR, and advances in clinical laboratories regarding the methods for measuring plasma creatinine and cystatin C, determined by the collaboration between the departments of paediatrics and clinical laboratories to establish recommendations based on the best scientific evidence on the use of equations to estimate GFR in this population. The purpose of this document is to provide recommendations on the evaluation of renal function and the use of equations to estimate GFR in children from birth to 18 years of age. The recipients of these recommendations are paediatricians, nephrologists, clinical biochemistry, clinical analysts, and all health professionals involved in the study and evaluation of renal function in this group of patients.

Keywords: Children; Cistatina C; Creatinina; Creatinine; Cystatin C; Ecuaciones de estimación del filtrado glomerular; Estimation of glomerular filtration rate equations; Filtrado glomerular; Glomerular filtration rate; Niños.