What does an eGFR of 45 mean?
An eGFR of 45 means the kidneys are filtering at about 45% of a healthy young adult's rate: stage 3a chronic kidney disease, the boundary with 3b, if it has been there for three months.
Most people at 45 have no symptoms. What matters is slowing the decline: blood pressure under 130/80, good diabetes control, no regular anti-inflammatory painkillers, and a review of any medicine the kidneys clear.
A nephrology referral is usual if it is falling fast, if there is a lot of protein in the urine, or once it drops below 30.
Source: National Kidney Foundation, eGFR
See a doctor promptly if
- Passing much less urine than usual, or none at all
- A sharp fall in eGFR over days to weeks rather than years
- Visible blood in the urine, or heavy frothy urine with swollen ankles and face
- Breathlessness with swelling and a known low eGFR
- An eGFR below 30 that you have not yet discussed with a doctor
- New confusion, vomiting or a very low urine output during an illness
Try the eGFR calculatorneeds a creatinine result, free, nothing to installThe 2021 CKD-EPI equation, which is the one in current use, with the stage your number falls in.
Answered by the AskDoc Medical Team · Medically reviewed under our Medical Director, MBBS · How we review
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