Low eGFR before i'm 30 years old

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Gee90
Posts: 2
Joined: Tue May 26, 2020 12:34 pm

Low eGFR before i'm 30 years old

Post by Gee90 »

Hi,

I recently had a kidney blood test done and my eGFR level came back at 70, with creatinine at 87 umol/L. As I am only 29, this result is really concerning to me. Does it indicate that I am likely to get CKD as I age? Apparently I should be getting an eGFR of over 90 at my age.

I feel like maybe I might need to adjust my lifestyle now in some way? My doctor simply said my result was normal and not to worry, and said the next step would just be to get another test done when I am 40 but otherwise to carry on as normal. This seems mad to me as surely we should be trying to establish why I have lost so much kidney function already! I am not diabetic and have normal blood pressure (have been checked for both recently). Have never had kidney stones, no kidney disease in the family nor am I on any medications or supplements.

To give you some background context I am a petite Caucasian female (BMI is about 20) aged 29, very slim/not at all muscly. I have tended to binge drink over the past 10 years or so... only once or twice a week as many young people do. Would this really have resulted in such a rapid decline in kidney function by itself?

As far as I was aware I wasn't ill in any way at the time the blood test was done - I felt completely normal.

Many thanks to anyone that can help. Would really appreciate some other opinions...

Gee
Thumps
Posts: 1302
Joined: Thu Sep 14, 2006 3:50 pm
Location: London, England

Re: Low eGFR before i'm 30 years old

Post by Thumps »

Hello and welcome :) I suppose my first question would be why did you get the kidney function test done in the first place? There's usually little reason to have one, unless you are unwell in some way.

Following that, I would say there is almost nothing you can extrapolate from a single test. 87 is very close to 90, and eGFR tests can be influenced to a small degree by things as simple as whether you're dehyrated, what you ate and drank the night before, or if you are hungover. So 87 is unlikely to be anything to worry about and your GP is right - that is a pretty normal result, and in no way an indicator of illness or that you have 'lost' any function.

In terms of drinking - excessive alcohol consumption tends to impact on the liver far more than the kidneys, and in our 20s we are much better equipped to fix any damage caused. If you're concerned, then cutting down on binge drinking can only be beneficial for your health.

It sounds like you are in a good position in terms of general health and BMI. Even for those of us with relatively advanced kidney disease, the basic advice is to eat healthily with a good ratio of veg and fruit, reduce salt and sugar intake, maintain a healthy weight and do some exercise - basically the same advice as any healthy person. So I would say, do those things, trust your GP, try not to worry, and enjoy your life :)
PKD/PLD diagnosed 1994, CKD stage 5 Oct 2007, Living Donor Kidney Transplant Dec 2008, still going strong!
Gee90
Posts: 2
Joined: Tue May 26, 2020 12:34 pm

Re: Low eGFR before i'm 30 years old

Post by Gee90 »

Thank you so much for taking the time to respond. I got the test done because I always said to myself that I wanted to get a general health check up when I was about to hit 30. I got quite a few tests done including diabetes, cholesterol, blood pressure etc. and this was the only one that came back abnormal.

I think you may have misinterpreted my eGFR - this came back as 70, not 87. My creatinine level was 87 but my eGFR was only 70, which is way off 90... in fact much closer to CKD stage 3.

I think you are still probably right and I need to try and stop worrying about it. If it goes down then it goes down, there is most likely nothing I can do about it as I already eat very healthily/exercise etc.

I guess this is why people don't get checks like this until they are much older!

Thanks again,

Gee
Thumps
Posts: 1302
Joined: Thu Sep 14, 2006 3:50 pm
Location: London, England

Re: Low eGFR before i'm 30 years old

Post by Thumps »

Apologies, you're absolutely right, I did misread the numbers! 70 is still very much in the space of being able to lead an entirely normal life, though.

I hope it stops being such a worry for you - if you notice any symptoms of illness you sound like someone who will make sure to get it checked out, and as you say you're doing the right things already.

Good health and long life to you!
PKD/PLD diagnosed 1994, CKD stage 5 Oct 2007, Living Donor Kidney Transplant Dec 2008, still going strong!
MatthewC
Posts: 75
Joined: Sat May 05, 2012 3:37 pm
Location: Oxfordshire

Re: Low eGFR before i'm 30 years old

Post by MatthewC »

Don't forget that eGFR means "estimated GFR" and I believe that I heard the method of estimating is not accurate at high figures - it is used mostly for people who have a seriously low eGFR. As I recall, I had eGFR at around 70 before I donated but the accurate GFR (only ever done once!) was 85 or similar. With only one kidney it's now 50 but my brother's eGFR is 55 or so!

Matthew
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