One-third of U.S. Labs Have Stopped Using Race-Based Equations to Diagnose Kidney Disease

A third of U.S. labs have adopted a recent expert recommendation to use a new equation to diagnose kidney disease that doesn’t include race, finds a survey by the College of American Pathologists that was published in JAMA. Under a long-used equation, Black people were assumed to have higher baseline eGFR levels which could in turn mark them at a less advanced stage of kidney disease. The recommendation for a retooled eGFR equation aligned with growing calls to eliminate race-based tools in medicine because of inaccuracy and the risk for harm. Read more from STAT here.