ACCURACY OF GLOMERULAR-FILTRATION RATE ES TIMATION FROM HEIGHT TO CIRCULATING CREATININE RATIO IN CHILDHOOD

Formulae for estimating glomerular filtration rate with the use of bod y size, circulating creatinine, and an empirically derived constant ar e widely used. The aim of the present study was to determine whether t hese formulae enable accurate prediction of glomerular filtration meas ured from the labeled ethylenediaminetetraacetic acid in 843 pediatric patients. Bland-Altman analysis was performed on the measured glomeru lar filtration rate and that estimated using the constant developed in our laboratory. Age and sex of the 843 patients failed to consistentl y influence the emprically derived constant. Measured and estimated gl omerular filtration rate were on the average identical. However, the 9 5% limits of agreement of the measured glomerular filtration rate with that estimated were wide (measured over estimated glomerular filtrati on from 0.53 to 2.04). Use of height to creatinine formulae to estimat e glomerular filtration is therefore frequently insufficiently accurat e.