English 
Italian Valutazione della filtrazione glomerulare: riflessione sull’impiego clinico
Evaluation of the glomerular filtration rate from the clinical point of view
AUTHORS
Giovanni Gambaro
Divisione di Nefrologia, Azienda Ospedaliera Universitaria Integrata di Verona, Dipartimento di Medicina, Università di Verona
Divisione di Nefrologia, Azienda Ospedaliera Universitaria Integrata di Verona, Dipartimento di Medicina, Università di Verona
ABSTRACT
Evaluation of the glomerular filtration rate from the clinical point of view
In this paper I briefly discuss what the nephrologist means by “renal function” from a clinical point of view, and what can be inferred from the determination of the Glomerular Filtration Rate (GFR). Furthermore, I illustrate the use of serum biomarkers: serum creatinine, and GFR (measured and estimated GFR with different formulas), together with their limitations in different clinical conditions (acute kidney injury versus chronic kidney disease), different ages, different patients (obese, HIV patientsts, different ethnic groups). Forthcoming new methods for the point-of-care, rapid GFR determination are described with their possible implications in the acute kidney injury setting.