Simple assessment of patient's stage of chronic kidney disease using eGFR-MDRD nomograms

European as well as US guidelines recommend the Modification of Diet in Renal Disease (MDRD) formula to determine the glomerular filtration rate (GFR) and, based on this, the staging of chronic kidney disease (CKD). The diagnosis of CKD is only established when a reduced eGFR has been observed for 3 months or longer. Because the MDRD equation is very complex, the calculation of eGFR is not possible without help from calculators or computers. Therefore, we converted this equation into simple, easy to use colour nomograms. These were drawn separately for men and women, on one hand, and for whites and blacks, on the other. These nomograms allow the determination of a patient’s eGFR in a quick and easy way and at any location.