College
Rowan-Virtua School of Osteopathic Medicine
Keywords
race-based calculation, eGFR, pediatric renal disease, pediatric morbidity & mortality, race, pediatric
Date of Presentation
5-1-2025 12:00 AM
Poster Abstract
This study investigates the implications of race-based adjustments in estimated glomerular filtration rate (eGFR) calculations on the health outcomes of Black children with renal disease. Historically, a race coefficient has been added to eGFR calculations for patients identified as Black, resulting in an artificial inflation of kidney function by approximately 16%. This inflation can delay the classification of chronic kidney disease (CKD), postpone eligibility for essential interventions like preemptive kidney transplantation, and prolong reliance on maintenance dialysis. Through a comprehensive literature review of peer-reviewed U.S. medical journal articles published between 2000 and 2023, this work explores how these clinical delays may contribute to disproportionate morbidity and mortality among Black pediatric renal patients. While socioeconomic factors confound the full impact of race-based eGFR, evidence suggests that the metric itself—being a physician-controlled variable—represents a modifiable barrier to equitable treatment. The findings underscore the urgent need to reassess and eliminate race-based medical practices in pediatric nephrology and beyond to improve health equity and outcomes.
Disciplines
Health Policy | Health Services Administration | Inequality and Stratification | Medicine and Health | Medicine and Health Sciences | Nephrology | Nutritional and Metabolic Diseases | Pediatrics | Race and Ethnicity | Urology
Included in
Health Policy Commons, Health Services Administration Commons, Inequality and Stratification Commons, Medicine and Health Commons, Nephrology Commons, Nutritional and Metabolic Diseases Commons, Pediatrics Commons, Race and Ethnicity Commons, Urology Commons
The Repercussions of Race-Based eGFR on the Morbidity & Mortality of Black Children with Renal Disease
This study investigates the implications of race-based adjustments in estimated glomerular filtration rate (eGFR) calculations on the health outcomes of Black children with renal disease. Historically, a race coefficient has been added to eGFR calculations for patients identified as Black, resulting in an artificial inflation of kidney function by approximately 16%. This inflation can delay the classification of chronic kidney disease (CKD), postpone eligibility for essential interventions like preemptive kidney transplantation, and prolong reliance on maintenance dialysis. Through a comprehensive literature review of peer-reviewed U.S. medical journal articles published between 2000 and 2023, this work explores how these clinical delays may contribute to disproportionate morbidity and mortality among Black pediatric renal patients. While socioeconomic factors confound the full impact of race-based eGFR, evidence suggests that the metric itself—being a physician-controlled variable—represents a modifiable barrier to equitable treatment. The findings underscore the urgent need to reassess and eliminate race-based medical practices in pediatric nephrology and beyond to improve health equity and outcomes.
