Overview
Quick answer
eGFR, estimated glomerular filtration rate, is a calculation, not a direct measurement. It is worked out from your blood creatinine level, age and sex, and it estimates how fast your kidneys are filtering waste from your blood, in mL/min/1.73m². A result of 90 or above is normal or high; 60 to 89 is mildly reduced; below 60, present for three months or more, is one of the two markers used to diagnose chronic kidney disease (CKD).
Because eGFR is calculated from creatinine, and creatinine comes from muscle breakdown, it can be thrown off by things that have nothing to do with kidney health: unusually high or low muscle mass, creatine supplements, dehydration, and a handful of common medications. A single low result is a prompt to repeat the test, not a diagnosis on its own.
Urine ACR (albumin-to-creatinine ratio) is the test's usual companion, because kidney damage can leak protein into urine before it lowers eGFR. Reading eGFR and ACR together, and over a trend rather than one draw, is the difference between a genuinely useful result and a number that is easy to misread in either direction.
Overview
Key takeaways
eGFR is calculated, not measured directly. Australian laboratories use the 2009 CKD-EPI equation, based on your blood creatinine, age and sex.
Creatinine is a waste product released as muscle tissue breaks down, so eGFR carries a hidden assumption: that you have roughly average muscle mass for your age and sex. People who diverge from that, in either direction, get a less accurate result.
A result of 90 or above is normal or high (CKD stage G1); 60 to 89 is mildly reduced (G2). Neither counts as chronic kidney disease on its own without another marker of kidney damage, such as raised urine ACR, also present.
CKD is only diagnosed when reduced eGFR (below 60) or a marker of kidney damage like albuminuria has been present for three months or more. A single low reading is a prompt to repeat the test, not a diagnosis.
Urine ACR (albumin-to-creatinine ratio) tests a different thing: whether the kidney's filtering barrier is leaking protein. It can rise before eGFR falls, which is why the two are read together rather than eGFR alone.
An estimated 2.7 million Australian adults, 14.2%, had biomedical signs of chronic kidney disease in 2022 to 2024, but only 7.4% of that group self-reported having kidney disease. Kidney Health Australia describes losing up to 90% of kidney function before symptoms appear.
Diabetes and high blood pressure are the leading contributors. About half of the 3,480 Australians who started kidney replacement therapy in 2024 also had diabetes (ANZDATA). In the ABS 2022-24 survey, adults with high measured blood pressure were more than twice as likely to have an abnormally low eGFR (9.7% compared with 3.9%).
Muscle mass, creatine supplements, dehydration, a cooked meat meal that morning, and medications including trimethoprim, cimetidine and regular NSAID use (ibuprofen, diclofenac) can all move a creatinine or eGFR result without reflecting a real change in kidney function. Laboratories do not require fasting, but cooked meat is the meal that can shift the number.
Basics
What is eGFR, and what does it actually measure?
Glomerular filtration rate (GFR) is the volume of blood plasma your kidneys filter each minute, and it is generally considered the single best overall measure of kidney function, because it reflects the combined filtering capacity of every working nephron rather than any one symptom or structural finding. A healthy adult filters around 120 mL of plasma every minute, roughly 180 litres a day.
Directly measuring true GFR requires injecting a tracer substance and timing its clearance, which is impractical for routine testing. eGFR is the practical workaround: an estimate calculated from something easy to measure in a standard blood draw.
Creatinine is a muscle by-product, not a kidney product
Creatinine forms when creatine and phosphocreatine, compounds stored in muscle for quick energy, spontaneously break down at a fairly constant daily rate, roughly 1.7% of the total pool, producing about 2 grams a day in an average adult. Because that supply is set by muscle mass, not kidney function, two people with identical true kidney function but different muscle mass will produce different amounts of creatinine.
Age and sex are a proxy for average muscle mass, and an imperfect one
The CKD-EPI equation, used by Australian laboratories, adjusts for age and sex because, on average, those track typical muscle mass across the population. It is a population-level proxy, not a measurement of your actual muscle mass, which is why it becomes less accurate at the extremes: a heavily muscled person tends to get a falsely low eGFR, and a frail or very low-muscle-mass person tends to get a falsely normal one.
A smaller mechanism worth knowing: tubular secretion
Creatinine is not only filtered by the glomerulus; a smaller amount, roughly 10 to 20% of what appears in urine at normal kidney function, is also actively pumped into the kidney tubule by transporters. That is why 24-hour creatinine clearance overestimates true GFR by about 10 to 20%. As true GFR falls, the secreted share grows, which is one reason creatinine-based estimates become less reliable at lower kidney function. eGFR equations are calibrated against measured GFR, so they already try to correct for average secretion, but they cannot track that changing share in an individual.
Age and sex are built into the equation. Race never was, in Australia
The 2009 CKD-EPI equation used by Australian laboratories has never applied a race coefficient here. The US 2009 equation included a Black-patient multiplier that later evidence showed systematically overestimated kidney function and delayed specialist referral; a 2021 CKD-EPI refit dropped race, but that is a different equation, and Kidney Health Australia's calculator still uses the 2009 version. A 2007 Australasian Creatinine Consensus Working Group statement recommended reporting eGFR without an ethnicity adjustment for Australian populations, including Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander peoples, because the formula had not been validated in those groups and there was no evidence a race factor would improve it.
That workaround is genuinely useful, and it is also the reason eGFR needs more careful reading than a single number implies. Everything in the rest of this section explains what the calculation is actually doing, and where it can be misled.
Reading your results
How to read your kidney function test report
A standard Australian kidney function report, usually ordered as part of a broader electrolyte, urea and creatinine (EUC) panel, lists a handful of fields together. Reading them as a set, rather than eGFR alone, is what turns the report into something genuinely useful.
eGFR (estimated glomerular filtration rate)
Reported in mL/min/1.73m², calculated from your creatinine, age and sex using the CKD-EPI equation. 90 or above is normal or high; results are usually capped at reporting as ">90" rather than an exact higher number, since the equation is not precise at the high end.
Creatinine
The raw measurement eGFR is calculated from, reported in µmol/L. On its own, a reference interval is less useful than it looks, because what counts as normal for you depends heavily on your muscle mass; eGFR already adjusts for that at a population level, which is why clinicians read eGFR rather than raw creatinine as the primary figure.
Urea
A separate waste product, cleared by the kidneys but also affected by protein intake, hydration, and gastrointestinal bleeding, so it is a supporting field rather than a standalone kidney marker.
Urea/creatinine ratio
A calculated ratio sometimes used to distinguish a dehydration-driven (pre-renal) pattern, where urea tends to rise more than creatinine, from a primarily kidney-driven one. It is a supporting clue for a clinician, not something to interpret alone.
Urine ACR (albumin-to-creatinine ratio)
Usually a separate urine sample rather than part of the blood panel, reported in mg/mmol in Australia (mg/mmol × 8.85 ≈ the US mg/g convention, if you are comparing to an overseas result). Covered in full later in this guide, because it measures something eGFR does not.
If eGFR is the only field flagged and everything else sits inside its reference interval, the pattern below on muscle mass, hydration and medications is the first place to look before assuming reduced kidney function.
Staging
CKD stages, and why one low result is not a diagnosis
Chronic kidney disease is staged, internationally, using the KDIGO framework, and Australian reporting broadly follows it. Two things about the staging system are more useful to understand than the numbers alone: what each stage actually means, and that a single result is never enough to apply it.
| Stage | eGFR (mL/min/1.73m²) | What it means |
|---|---|---|
| G1 | 90 or above | Normal or high (not CKD unless another marker of kidney damage is also present) |
| G2 | 60 to 89 | Mildly decreased (not CKD unless another marker of kidney damage is also present) |
| G3a | 45 to 59 | Mildly to moderately decreased |
| G3b | 30 to 44 | Moderately to severely decreased |
| G4 | 15 to 29 | Severely decreased |
| G5 | Below 15 | Kidney failure |
The three-month rule is a feature, not a delay
Chronic kidney disease is defined by the international KDIGO guideline as reduced eGFR (below 60) or a marker of kidney damage, most commonly raised urine ACR, present for three months or more. A single low result can reflect dehydration, a recent illness, a medication, or simply normal day-to-day variation; repeating the test is how a genuine, persistent reduction gets told apart from noise, rather than a reason to assume the worst from one number or dismiss it entirely.
Average eGFR in population studies falls by roughly 0.8 to 1 mL/min per year from around age 40, but that decline is not inevitable. The Baltimore Longitudinal Study found about one in three people had no fall in creatinine clearance over time, and the 2007 Australasian Creatinine Consensus statement notes that much of the average decline tracks hypertension and other disease rather than healthy ageing alone. That is why an eGFR in the G2 range in an older adult is read differently to the same number in someone in their 30s, and why trend still matters more than a single figure against a fixed cut-off.
Beyond the reference range
Reference range vs a preventative target
The eGFR staging system above is a diagnostic framework, built to identify disease. Hemexa's own preventative band is narrower, aimed at a member with no diagnosis who wants to catch a downward trend early.
Hemexa flags a watch band from 60, in line with the G2 threshold
Hemexa's own clinical policy treats eGFR at or above 90 as the preventative optimal band, matching CKD stage G1, with a watch flag from 60 up to that point, matching G2. This is Hemexa's working preventative policy, layered on Healius Pathology's reported reference range, and it mirrors the same staging clinicians use rather than inventing a separate number.
The point of a watch band before 60 is to catch a trend, not to diagnose
A result sitting at 65, inside the normal clinical range, is not remotely a diagnosis. It is, however, worth noticing if last year's result was 78, because a meaningful downward trend across annual results is visible years before any single result crosses a diagnostic threshold, and it is exactly the kind of signal a one-off GP test, taken only when something is already wrong, is not built to catch.
Discuss any watch-band result with your GP rather than treating it as a verdict on its own; the value of an annual baseline is the trend it builds, not any single year's number.
CKD stages are clinical decision limits, not the edge of a 95% reference interval. That distinction is on the reference range vs optimal range guide.
A companion marker
Why urine ACR matters alongside eGFR
A healthy glomerulus, the filtering unit inside each kidney, is a remarkably selective barrier: three layers working together, a fenestrated blood vessel lining coated in a protective glycocalyx, a basement membrane, and specialised cells called podocytes with foot processes woven together like interlocking fingers, block almost all albumin from crossing into urine. In a healthy kidney, only a tiny fraction of the albumin reaching the glomerulus gets through.
Early damage breaks the barrier before it shrinks the filter
In diabetes and high blood pressure, the two leading causes of kidney damage in Australia, sustained high glucose and mechanical stress from elevated pressure disrupt the podocytes' structure and the proteins holding their foot processes together. That barrier damage lets albumin leak through at a stage when the kidney's overall filtering capacity, what eGFR measures, can still look completely normal. This is one reason ACR can flag kidney stress while eGFR still looks unremarkable, rather than the two markers always moving together.
ACR is staged separately, alongside eGFR
The international KDIGO framework categorises ACR as A1 (below 3 mg/mmol, normal to mildly increased), A2 (3 to 30 mg/mmol, moderately increased), or A3 (above 30 mg/mmol, severely increased). A clinician reads your eGFR stage and your ACR category together, because the combination carries more information about kidney risk than either does alone.
A single raised ACR result, like a single low eGFR, is not a diagnosis on its own. It is read the same way: repeated, and in the context of the rest of your kidney panel.
How common
How common is reduced kidney function in Australia?
An estimated 2.7 million Australian adults have biomedical signs of CKD
The ABS National Health Measures Survey 2022 to 2024 found 14.2% of Australian adults, about 2.7 million people, had biomedical markers of chronic kidney disease. That climbs sharply with age: 44.7% of adults 75 and over, compared with under 10% of adults under 55.
Most of those people do not know they have it
Of adults with biomedical signs of CKD in that ABS survey, only 7.4% self-reported having kidney disease. Kidney Health Australia frames the same pattern more bluntly: people can lose up to 90% of kidney function before noticing any obvious signs.
"At risk" is a separate, larger figure, not the same claim
Kidney Health Australia separately states that one in three Australian adults is at risk of developing kidney disease, based on risk factors like diabetes, high blood pressure, obesity and family history. That is a different statistic from the 14.2% who already show biomedical signs, and the two are worth keeping distinct rather than treating as the same number.
Who should test
Who should consider a kidney function test?
Metabolic and cardiovascular risk factors
- Type 1 or type 2 diabetes
- High blood pressure, particularly if not well controlled
- Established cardiovascular disease
- Overweight or obesity
Personal and family history
- A family history of kidney disease, including polycystic kidney disease
- A previous episode of acute kidney injury
- Recurrent urinary tract infections or a history of kidney stones
- Aboriginal or Torres Strait Islander background, which carries a higher documented CKD burden
Other reasons to test
- Before starting, or while taking, a medication that affects the kidneys or is cleared by them
- Regular NSAID use, especially alongside a diuretic or blood pressure medication
- As part of an annual preventative baseline panel, given how often reduced kidney function is silent
- Unexplained swelling, persistent fatigue, or a change in how often or how much you urinate
Kidney function tests are frequently included in a routine annual blood panel for exactly this reason: reduced kidney function is common, and it is usually silent until it is well advanced. Your GP can advise whether a specific clinical indication applies to you.
Causes
What causes reduced kidney function
Most reduced kidney function in Australia traces back to a small number of well-established causes. None of these is diagnosed from eGFR and ACR alone; both need the wider clinical picture.
Diabetes
About half of the 3,480 Australians who started kidney replacement therapy (dialysis or a transplant) in 2024 also had type 1 or type 2 diabetes, per the ANZDATA 48th Annual Report. Diabetic kidney disease was the primary cause in 36% of those new cases. Sustained high blood glucose damages the small blood vessels and the filtering barrier inside each glomerulus over years, often without symptoms until function is well reduced.
High blood pressure
In the ABS 2022-24 National Health Measures Survey, adults with high measured blood pressure were more than twice as likely to have an abnormally low eGFR (9.7% compared with 3.9%) and more likely to have albuminuria (16.5% compared with 9.2%). Sustained elevated pressure damages small kidney blood vessels in a similar way to diabetes, and the two conditions frequently occur together, compounding the risk.
Structural and inherited causes
Polycystic kidney disease, an inherited condition causing fluid-filled cysts to gradually replace healthy kidney tissue, and obstruction from kidney stones or an enlarged prostate, are less common but well-recognised causes, usually identified through imaging alongside blood and urine tests.
Medications and NSAIDs
Regular non-steroidal anti-inflammatory use, particularly alongside dehydration or certain blood pressure medications, is a recognised and often overlooked contributor, covered in mechanistic detail in the next section.
Acute kidney injury, a sudden drop in function from a cause like severe dehydration, a major infection, or a serious medication reaction, is a separate and usually reversible event rather than chronic kidney disease, though a severe or repeated episode can leave lasting damage.
Before you worry
Muscle mass, supplements and medicines that can skew a result
A handful of common, often temporary factors can shift a creatinine or eGFR result without reflecting any real change in kidney function. Knowing them can save an unnecessary round of worry, or an unnecessary round of follow-up testing.
Higher-than-average muscle mass
Because eGFR's age and sex adjustment is only a population-level proxy for typical muscle mass, someone who is unusually muscular produces more creatinine than that proxy assumes, which can make a genuinely normal kidney function look reduced on paper. If this describes you and a result looks lower than expected, mention it to your GP. Cystatin C is a different filtration marker that is not affected by muscle mass. KDIGO 2024 recommends a combined creatinine-and-cystatin-C equation when more accuracy is needed. Cystatin C has its own confounders, including inflammation, thyroid disease and glucocorticoid use, so it is a better second marker, not a perfect one.
A cooked meat meal that morning
Cooking converts creatine in meat into creatinine, which is then absorbed. A cooked meat meal can raise serum creatinine by more than 20 µmol/L for several hours, enough in published studies to drop eGFR across a CKD stage boundary. A meat-free meal does not do this. Australian laboratories do not require fasting for a kidney function test, but if a result looks unexpectedly low, a recent cooked-meat meal is worth mentioning before assuming kidney function has changed.
Creatine supplements
A 2025 systematic review and meta-analysis found creatine supplementation causes a small but statistically real rise in serum creatinine, without evidence of true kidney injury on more specific injury markers in the trials reviewed. If you take creatine and see a mildly elevated result, that is worth mentioning to whoever is reviewing it, rather than a reason for alarm on its own.
Dehydration
Reduced blood volume lowers blood flow to the kidneys, which can transiently raise creatinine and lower eGFR without any lasting kidney damage. This reverses once you are adequately hydrated, which is part of why a result taken during or shortly after an acute illness is best interpreted with that context in mind.
Trimethoprim and cimetidine
These medications competitively block the transporters responsible for actively secreting a small portion of creatinine into the kidney tubule, so serum creatinine rises and eGFR falls on paper, even though true filtration is unchanged. The effect is well documented in Australian Prescriber and reverses once the medication is stopped.
NSAIDs, and the "triple whammy" combination worth knowing
NSAIDs (ibuprofen, diclofenac, and similar medications) block the production of prostaglandins, signalling molecules that normally widen the blood vessel feeding each glomerulus, an effect the kidney relies on more heavily when blood flow is already under pressure. Combining an NSAID with a diuretic and a blood-pressure medication that works on the same system (an ACE inhibitor or ARB) is widely described in primary care guidance as the "triple whammy": the three medications remove the kidney's compensating mechanisms from both directions at once, most dangerously during dehydration, vomiting, diarrhoea, or another cause of volume depletion. The resulting drop in kidney function is usually reversible if caught, which is exactly why it is worth knowing the combination exists.
None of these factors mean a result should be ignored. They mean context, your medications, hydration, and muscle mass, belongs alongside the number when it is being interpreted, which is exactly what a GP or a platform tracking your history over time is positioned to do.
How to order
How Australians get a kidney function test
| Approach | Best for | Typical cost | Includes test? |
|---|---|---|---|
| GP-ordered, Medicare-funded | Anyone with a clinical indication: symptoms, risk factors, or monitoring a condition or medication | Bulk-billed or low gap when eligible. There is no single dedicated kidney-panel item; the standard electrolyte, urea and creatinine panel (6 analytes) bills as 5 or more tests under MBS item 66512, schedule fee $17.70. A standalone urine ACR bills as 2 tests under item 66503, schedule fee $11.65 | Yes, eGFR, creatinine, urea and electrolytes as a standard panel; urine ACR ordered separately |
| GP-ordered, private (no clinical indication) | Preventative or asymptomatic testing outside MBS criteria | Varies by pathology provider; typically bundled within a broader private chemistry panel rather than billed as a standalone item | Yes, as part of a broader preventative panel |
| Membership platforms (e.g. Hemexa) | Ongoing annual baseline coverage with trend tracking alongside other markers | ~$1,199/year (full membership) | Yes; eGFR, creatinine, urea, urea/creatinine ratio and urine ACR on the annual baseline, among 76–80 signature markers |
Laboratories do not require fasting for a kidney function test. A cooked meat meal that morning can still raise creatinine for several hours, so mention it if a result looks unexpectedly low. Pathology in Australia requires an authorised request from a registered medical practitioner; a GP can order a standalone panel or include it as part of a broader annual check.
FAQ
Frequently asked questions
- What is eGFR and what does it measure?
- eGFR, estimated glomerular filtration rate, is a calculation, not a direct measurement, worked out from your blood creatinine, age and sex using the CKD-EPI equation. It estimates how fast your kidneys are filtering waste from your blood, reported in mL/min/1.73m².
- What is a normal eGFR?
- A result of 90 or above is considered normal or high (CKD stage G1). 60 to 89 is mildly decreased (G2). Neither counts as chronic kidney disease on its own unless another marker of kidney damage, most commonly raised urine ACR, is also present.
- Do I need to fast for a kidney function test?
- Australian laboratories do not require fasting. A typical meal does not move creatinine much, but a cooked meat meal can raise creatinine for several hours and lower eGFR on paper. If a result looks unexpectedly low, mention recent cooked meat to whoever is reviewing it, or repeat the test without a meat meal that morning.
- My eGFR came back lower than expected but I have above-average muscle mass. Could that be why?
- It is possible. eGFR's age and sex adjustment assumes roughly average muscle mass for your demographic, and creatinine is a by-product of muscle breakdown, so someone with above-average muscle mass can produce a falsely low eGFR despite genuinely normal kidney function. Mention it to your GP. Cystatin C is not affected by muscle mass; KDIGO 2024 prefers a combined creatinine-and-cystatin-C estimate when more accuracy is needed. Cystatin C can still be moved by inflammation, thyroid disease and steroids.
- Does one low eGFR result mean I have kidney disease?
- No. Chronic kidney disease is only diagnosed when reduced eGFR, or another marker of kidney damage such as raised urine ACR, has been present for three months or more. A single result can reflect dehydration, a recent illness, a medication, or normal variation, and the standard response is to repeat the test rather than treat one number as a verdict.
- What is urine ACR and why is it tested alongside eGFR?
- Urine ACR (albumin-to-creatinine ratio) checks whether your kidneys' filtering barrier is leaking protein into urine. It can become abnormal before eGFR falls, because early kidney damage, particularly from diabetes or high blood pressure, tends to disrupt the filtering barrier before it measurably reduces overall filtering capacity. Reading eGFR and ACR together gives a more complete picture than either alone.
- Can medications affect my eGFR result without meaning kidney damage?
- Yes. Trimethoprim and cimetidine both block a transporter involved in actively secreting a small portion of creatinine, which raises serum creatinine and lowers eGFR on paper without any true change in filtration; this reverses once the medication stops. Creatine supplements can cause a small, real rise in creatinine without kidney injury.
- Are NSAIDs like ibuprofen bad for my kidneys?
- Occasional use in a well-hydrated, otherwise healthy person is generally low risk. NSAIDs block prostaglandins that help maintain blood flow to the kidneys, an effect that matters most when the kidneys are already under pressure. The riskiest combination, described in primary care guidance as the "triple whammy", is an NSAID together with a diuretic and an ACE inhibitor or ARB, especially during dehydration; that combination is worth discussing with a GP or pharmacist if it applies to you.
- What causes reduced kidney function in Australia?
- Diabetes and high blood pressure are the leading contributors. About half of the 3,480 Australians who started kidney replacement therapy in 2024 also had diabetes (ANZDATA), and diabetic kidney disease was the primary cause in 36% of those new cases. In the ABS 2022-24 survey, adults with high measured blood pressure were more than twice as likely to have an abnormally low eGFR. Less common causes include polycystic kidney disease, obstruction from kidney stones or an enlarged prostate, and regular NSAID use.
- How common is reduced kidney function in Australia?
- An estimated 2.7 million Australian adults, 14.2%, had biomedical signs of chronic kidney disease in 2022 to 2024, according to the ABS National Health Measures Survey, but only 7.4% of that group self-reported having kidney disease. Kidney Health Australia separately states that up to 90% of kidney function can be lost before symptoms appear.
- How much does a kidney function test cost in Australia, and does Medicare cover it?
- When clinically indicated, Medicare funds the standard electrolyte, urea and creatinine panel under MBS item 66512 (schedule fee $17.70), commonly bulk-billed, with a standalone urine ACR billed separately under item 66503 (schedule fee $11.65). Outside a clinical indication, cost varies by pathology provider. Membership platforms that include a full kidney panel on a comprehensive baseline start around AU$1,199 per year.
- Should I worry about a result just below 90?
- Not on its own. Average eGFR in population studies falls by roughly 0.8 to 1 mL/min per year from around age 40, but that decline is not inevitable and often tracks blood pressure and other disease rather than healthy ageing alone. A result in the G2 range (60 to 89) means something different in a 65-year-old than in someone in their 30s. What is worth acting on is a downward trend across repeat results, or a result alongside another abnormal marker like raised urine ACR, rather than a single figure against a fixed threshold.
How Hemexa fits
How Hemexa can help
Kidney function is easiest to read correctly as a pattern across markers and time, not one number in isolation, and with a clear line between a genuine trend and a lab artefact from hydration, muscle mass, or a medication.
eGFR, creatinine, urea and urine ACR on the annual baseline
Hemexa includes eGFR, creatinine, urea, the urea/creatinine ratio, and urine ACR on the 76–80 marker annual baseline. eGFR is flagged dashboard-critical and feeds the Kidney & Hydration health system on your dashboard, alongside creatinine and urine ACR, so a downward trend across years is visible rather than buried inside a single annual result.
A urine ACR result even when the lab reports it below detection
When a urine albumin result comes back below the pathology lab's detection limit rather than as a clean number, Hemexa's system still calculates a valid ACR from the reported creatinine, instead of leaving the field blank, so a genuinely low-risk result is not lost simply because the raw albumin measurement was reported as a threshold rather than a value.
Clinical safety review that mirrors the same staging in this guide
An eGFR below 30 is flagged in Hemexa's clinical safety review for same-day follow-up. An eGFR between 30 and 45, or a urine ACR above 30 mg/mmol, is flagged for review within days. Both thresholds mirror the CKD staging and ACR categories described earlier in this guide, rather than an arbitrary internal cut-off.
A watch band from 60, ahead of a diagnostic threshold
Hemexa's dashboard shows your eGFR against both the standard reference interval from Healius Pathology and a tighter preventative watch band starting at 60, the same figure that marks the boundary into CKD stage G2, so a result that is still technically normal but trending down is visible well before it would prompt a diagnostic conversation. Cystatin C, a kidney marker not affected by muscle mass, is available as an add-on when a creatinine-based eGFR is less reliable. KDIGO 2024 prefers combining creatinine and cystatin C when more accuracy is needed.
Sources
References
RCPA. Pathology Tests Explained: eGFR (Estimated glomerular filtration rate). View source ↗
Kidney Health Australia. eGFR calculator. View source ↗
Kidney Health Australia. Symptoms of kidney disease. View source ↗
Kidney Health Australia. View source ↗
Australian Bureau of Statistics. National Health Measures Survey, 2022-24. View source ↗