Chronic kidney disease describes a range of conditions where your kidneys do not work optimally. What is your risk of developing chronic kidney disease?
Kidneys work to filter the blood in our bodies, removing waste, toxins, and excess fluids. Chronic kidney disease, or CKD, is a condition in which the kidneys are not filtering blood as well as they should be. This lowered rate of filtration results in excess fluids and waste in the body and can lead to other health problems such as heart problems, high blood pressure, heart disease, kidney failure, and stroke.
This calculator was specifically designed and tested for the general public. To generate a usable result only general information such as age, sex, and health behaviours (drinking and smoking habits) are needed.
This equation was designed and tested with and without lab measurements. We found that even without a lab measurement to act as a baseline, this calculator performs accurately. This tool was developed for use by the general public, as such detailed clinical information such as lab values or blood pressure is not necessary to provide a sufficiently accurate result.
This calculator was developed by taking a sample of 22, 200 individuals in Ontario, Canada with a valid eGFR measure and completed the Canadian Community Health Survey. This group was followed through time to identify which characteristics had a higher or lower likelihood of developing future CKD. This group was used to develop an equation to describe the lifestyle and demographic factors of people’s risk of developing CKD. To ensure that this equation was accurate, this equation was then validated in a group of 15, 522 individuals from the UK Biobank. Overall, the equation was able to identify who was at a higher risk of developing CKD over a period of 8 years. When tested in a new population the equation produced a similar level of predicted and actual levels of CKD.
