Renal function

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Renal function, in nephrology, is an indication of the state of the kidney and its role in renal physiology. Glomerular filtration rate (GFR) describes the flow rate of filtered fluid through the kidney. Creatinine clearance rate (CCr) is the volume of blood plasma that is cleared of creatinine per unit time and is a useful measure for approximating the GFR. Both GFR and CCr may be accurately calculated by comparative measurements of substances in the blood and urine, or estimated by formulas using just a blood test result (eGFR and eCCr).

The results of these tests are important in assessing the excretory function of the kidneys. For example, grading of chronic renal insufficiency and dosage of drugs that are primarily excreted via urine are based on GFR (or creatinine clearance).

It is commonly believed to be the amount of liquid filtered out of the blood that gets processed by the kidneys. Physiologically, these quantities (volumetric blood flow and mass removal) are only related loosely.

For more information about Renal function, read the full article at Wikipedia.
This text uses material from Wikipedia and is available under the GNU Free Documentation License.


News tagged with kidney function

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Quick test for prostate cancer

Chemistry / Biochemistry

created May 19, 2009 | popularity 3.4 / 5 (5) | comments 2

A new 3-minute test could help in diagnosing prostate cancer, the most common cancer in men in the UK, according to scientists.


Help your kidneys: Pass on salt and diet soda

Medicine & Health / Diseases

created Nov 01, 2009 | popularity 4.2 / 5 (13) | comments 2

Individuals who consume a diet high in sodium or artificially sweetened drinks are more likely to experience a decline in kidney function, according to two papers being presented at the American Society of Nephrology's annual ...


Study finds novel genetic risk factors for kidney disease

Medicine & Health / Genetics

created May 10, 2009 | popularity not rated yet | comments 0

A team of researchers from the United States, the Netherlands and Iceland has identified three genes containing common mutations that are associated with altered kidney disease risk. One of the discovered genes, the UMOD ...


'Nature vs. nurture' study of deceased donor pairs in kidney transplantation

Medicine & Health / Research

created Apr 22, 2009 | popularity not rated yet | comments 0

The implications of a new study could improve the outcomes, and potentially survival rates, for some of the thousands of individuals who undergo kidney transplants each year. The study concluded that donor-related risk factors, ...


Studies examine treatment for gout and the condition's protective effects

Medicine & Health / Diseases

created Nov 04, 2008 | popularity 4.6 / 5 (5) | comments 0

The goal in treating patients with gout is to reduce acute attacks by lowering serum urate levels, which are usually high in this disease. At the same time, high serum urate levels have been shown to lower the risk of developing ...


New research links drinking lowfat milk to lower risk for heart disease

Medicine & Health / Health

created Jun 26, 2008 | popularity 4 / 5 (21) | comments 5

Grabbing as little as one glass of lowfat or fat free milk could help protect your heart, according to a new study published in the American Journal of Clinical Nutrition. Researchers found that adults who had at least one se ...


Epilepsy Drug Shows Promise in Treating Kidney Disease

Medicine & Health / Medications

created Dec 03, 2009 | popularity not rated yet | comments 0

(PhysOrg.com) -- An anti-convulsant drug commonly used to treat epilepsy reduces cysts in mice that are associated with polycystic kidney disease (PKD), a difficult to treat ailment that afflicts 600,000 people in the United ...


Impaired kidney function linked to cognitive decline in elderly

Medicine & Health / Neuroscience

created Sep 28, 2009 | popularity not rated yet | comments 0

A new study published in the medical journal Neurology suggests that impaired kidney function is a risk factor for cognitive decline in old age.


New treatment significantly slows progression of eye damage in persons with type 1 diabetes

Medicine & Health / Diseases

created Jul 01, 2009 | popularity not rated yet | comments 0

University of Minnesota Medical School researcher Michael Mauer, M.D., has found a treatment that significantly slows the progression of eye injury in people with type 1 diabetes, a common complication caused by this disease. ...


Can kidney disease cause cancer?

Medicine & Health / Cancer

created May 01, 2009 | popularity not rated yet | comments 0

Moderate kidney disease increases an older man's risk of developing certain cancers, according to an upcoming study in the Journal of the American Society Nephrology (JASN). Given that chronic kidney disease (CKD) affect ...


Enzyme therapy slows kidney function decline

Medicine & Health / Diseases

created Apr 08, 2009 | popularity not rated yet | comments 0

For men with Fabry disease, enzyme replacement therapy (ERT) with agalsidase alfa slows deterioration of kidney function, reports a study in the online edition of the Journal of the American Society of Nephrology (JASN). "The results ...


New findings on old kidneys could enhance transplants, study shows

Medicine & Health / Research

created Jan 26, 2009 | popularity 4 / 5 (1) | comments 0

The older the kidney, the worse it works — though exactly how much worse isn't known. But with a mean wait time of over three years for a kidney transplant, even old kidneys are in demand. The challenge for doctors is to ...


Heart failure patients with kidney dysfunction don't recover well after hospital discharge

Medicine & Health / Diseases

created Nov 18, 2009 | popularity not rated yet | comments 0

Most heart failure patients who develop kidney failure in the hospital do not recover from it before going home and are at increased risk of either being re-hospitalized or dying within the year, according to a Henry Ford ...


Kidney function decline increases risk of heart failure and premature death

Medicine & Health / Diseases

created Nov 05, 2009 | popularity not rated yet | comments 0

Declining kidney function is linked to a higher risk of heart failure, heart attack, peripheral arterial disease, and early death in individuals with or without kidney disease, according to a pair of studies appearing in ...


Can charcoal fight heart disease in kidney patients?

Medicine & Health / Diseases

created Nov 02, 2009 | popularity not rated yet | comments 0

Charcoal may provide a new approach to managing the high rate of heart disease in patients with advanced kidney disease, according to preliminary research being presented at the American Society of Nephrology's 42nd Annual ...