New findings show women are at risk of their primary care physicians delaying diagnosis of chronic kidney disease (CKD). To measure kidney function, primary care doctors typically order a blood test called creatinine, but this alone is not an accurate measure of kidney function. According to lead researcher Dr. Maya Rao, the creatinine should also be plugged into a formula that gives the estimated kidney filtration rate (eGFR). Women have a lower eGFR than men for the same level of creatinine, so a creatinine level that is normal for a man can mean reduced kidney function in a woman. 

 This article originally appeared in the December 2009 issue of Kidney Beginnings: The Electronic Newsletter.