Assessing Renal Function Using Cockcroft-Gault and Modification of Diet in Renal Disease Equations in Healthy South Indian Males – A pilot study

Objective: To compare the estimated GFR (eGFR) calculated by CG and MDRD formulae and to study the correlation between body mass index (BMI) and eGFR in healthy South Indian men. Material & Methods: Healthy male volunteers were enrolled. eGFR was estimated by CG and MDRD equation and categorized as normal, mild, moderate, severe renal impairment and renal failure. Estimated clearance by these two methods was compared using paired student’s t test. Correlations were performed with pearson’s correlation test. Results: A total of 491 subjects were enrolled. Mean (±SD) eGFR was 91.05 (± 15.04) and 86.43 (± 13.61) by CG and MDRD equations respectively; this difference though statistically significant (p=0.01), was clinically insignificant. A reduced renal function (<90ml/min) was found in 50.9% and 63.1% of population by CG and MDRD formulae respectively. BMI positively correlated with CG-GFR (r=0.471, p<0.001), and negatively correlated with MDRD-GFR (r=-0.268, p<0.001). Serum creatinine positively correlated with BMI (r=0.19, p<0.001). Conclusion: The normal eGFR seems to be lower in the South Indian population compared to the western standards. CG and MDRD formulae may need to be validated before these can be applied for staging of kidney function in a healthy Indian population. DOI: http://dx.doi.org/10.3126/ajms.v2i3.5337 Asian Journal of Medical Sciences 2 (2011) 185-189