Physician-scientists from the University of Alabama at Birmingham Marnix E. Heersink School of Medicine recently conducted a large-scale analysis to assess the impact of a newly introduced equation used to evaluate one’s heart failure risk. The study, published in the Journal of Cardiac Failure, showed that the new and old kidney function equations had comparable values in predicting the risk of heart failure.
Naman Shetty, M.D., a clinical research fellow in the UAB Division of Cardiovascular Disease and the first author of this manuscript, explained that, since kidney function cannot be measured directly, equations were created to measure kidney function using the circulating levels of waste products such as creatinine. Creatinine is a chemical waste product of creatine, a substance that is used to supply energy to the muscles. Prior to the new equation, an adjustment for race was used in the equation to account for racial differences in the creatinine levels in the blood. However, Shetty says the inclusion of race in the previous equation was criticized for potentially promoting racial disparities in health care.