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Updated: Jul 27, 2025

A High-throughput Method for Measurement of Glomerular Filtration Rate in Conscious Mice
Published on: May 10, 2013
Obesity, Hyperfiltration, and Early Kidney Damage: A New Formula for the Estimation of Creatinine Clearance
Alessio Basolo1, Guido Salvetti1, Domenico Giannese2
1Obesity and Lipodystrophy Center, Endocrinology Unit, University Hospital of Pisa, Pisa 56124, Italy.
Context:
Glomerular hyperfiltration may represent a direct pathogenetic link between obesity and kidney disease. The most widely used methods to estimate creatine clearance such as Cockroft-Gault (CG), Modification of Diet in Renal Disease (MDRD), and Chronic Kidney Disease Epidemiology Collaboration (CKD-EPI) have not been validated in subjects with obesity.
Objective:
The performance of prediction formulas was compared with measured creatinine clearance (mCrCl) in subjects with obesity.
Methods:
The study population included 342 patients with obesity (mean BMI 47.6 kg/m2) without primary kidney disease. A urine collection was performed over 24 hours for measurement of CrCl.
Results:
mCrCl increased with body weight. The CG formula showed an overestimation at high CrCl, whereas an underestimation resulted from CKD-EPI and MDRD. To improve the accuracy of estimated CrCl (eCrCl), a new CG-based formula was developed:53+0.7×(140-Age)×Weight/(96xSCr)×(0.85iffemale)A cut-off point for BMI of 32 kg/m2 was identified, at which the new formula may be applied to improve eCrCl.
Conclusion:
In patients with obesity the glomerular filtration rate increases with body weight, and it is associated with the presence of albuminuria, suggesting an early kidney injury. We propose a novel formula that improves the accuracy of eCrCl to avoid missed diagnoses of hyperfiltration in patients with obesity.
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