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Kidney testing predicts risk of failure in individuals with disease

Category: Kidney Diseases

Regular kidney testing may accurately predict the risk of kidney failure in individuals who suffer from renal disease, according to a new study published in the Journal of the American Medical Association.

The researchers said that 23 million people in the U.S. currently have some degree of chronic renal disease, which puts them at an elevated risk of losing function of their kidneys. Simple testing that allows doctors to accurately predict an individual's risk could save millions of lives.

For the study, researchers examined data on the condition from previously published investigations and developed a model that pointed to the most accurate ways of diagnosing risk. They found that kidney tests for calcium, phosphorus and albumin were the strongest predictors of the risk of kidney failure. These tests are widely available.

"Accurate prediction of risk could facilitate individualized decision making, enabling early and appropriate patient care," the researchers wrote in their report. "Currently, there are no widely accepted predictive instruments for CKD progression; therefore, physicians must make ad hoc decisions about which patients to treat, risking delays in treatment."