A ‘Race-Free’ Approach to Diagnosing Kidney Disease
The New York Times
The most common method of assessing the condition may make Black patients seem less ill than they really are, some experts say. A new report calls for scrapping the formula.
A scientific task force on Thursday called for jettisoning a common measure of kidney function that adjusts results by race, providing different assessments for Black patients than for others.
The adjustment may make Black patients seem less ill than they really are, according to many experts. Instead, doctors should rely on a race-neutral method for diagnosing and managing kidney disease, concluded a report from the National Kidney Foundation and the American Society of Nephrology.
The specific equation recommended was described in a study published Thursday in the New England Journal of Medicine.
