22nd June 2023

Glomerular filtration rate

The glomerular filtration rate (GFR) is the volume of plasma passing through all the glomeruli in the kidneys in one minute; in normal functioning kidneys this is approximately 125ml/min, however normal GFR varies with sex and body size, and declines with age. The eGFR is the estimated GFR and is calculated based on the patient’s serum creatinine, age, sex and race. There are several equations used to calculate the eGFR, but in the UK, NICE recommends using the Chronic Kidney Disease Epidemiology Collaboration creatinine equation (CKD-EPI) to calculate eGFR in adults.