Serum NGAL, BNP, PTH, and albumin do not improve glomerular filtration rate estimating formulas in children

Glomerular filtration rate (GFR) is difficult to measure, and estimating formulas are notorious for lacking precision. This study aims to assess if the inclusion of additional biomarkers improves the performance of eGFR formulas. A hundred and sixteen children with renal diseases were enrolled. Data for age, weight, height, inulin clearance (iGFR), serum creatinine, cystatin C, neutrophil gelatinase-associated lipocalin (NGAL), parathyroid hormone (PTH), albumin, and brain natriuretic peptide (BNP) were collected. These variables were added to the revised and combined (serum creatinine and cystatin C) Schwartz formulas, and the quadratic and combined quadratic formulas. We calculated the adjusted r-square (r(2)) in relation to iGFR and tested the improvement in variance explained by means of the likelihood ratio test. The combined Schwartz and the combined quadratic formulas yielded best results with an r(2) of 0.676 and 0.730, respectively. The addition of BNP and PTH to the combined Schwartz and quadratic formulas improved the variance slightly. NGAL and albumin failed to improve the prediction of GFR further. These study results also confirm that the addition of cystatin C improves the performance of estimating GFR formulas, in particular the Schwartz formula. Conclusion: The addition of serum NGAL, BNP, PTH, and albumin to the combined Schwartz and quadratic formulas for estimating GFR did not improve GFR prediction in our population.