A blood test called creatinine. This measures the levels of a waste product called creatinine in your blood. It is normally 60-120 mcmol/L. You may have chronic kidney disease (CKD) if your level is higher than this level.
Your doctor uses your blood test result – plus your age, size, gender and ethnic group – to calculate how many millilitres of waste your kidneys should be able to filter in a minute. This calculation is known as your estimated glomerular filtration rate (eGFR).
Healthy kidneys should be able to filter more than 90ml/min. You may have CKD if your GFR is lower than this level.
‘Big three’ key investigations
In fact, in CKD, there are three vital tests, including the ones so far mentioned. They are:
- Creatinine/eGFR. Described above, and the most important one
- Urinary albumin-to-creatinine ratio (ACR)
- Renal (kidney) ultrasound.
With this information, most serious disorders of kidney function can be diagnosed by a doctor. If they are not sure, they should refer you to a kidney specialist called a nephrologist.
Other resource
There is alot more information on CKD on our sister website, CKD Explained.
