Laboratorians and other health care professionals that play a role in the diagnosis and management of chronic kidney disease (CKD) should sign up for AACC’s thought leadership webinar, “Biomarkers of Chronic Kidney Disease: How ACR, GFR and Cystatin C Work Together in Screening, Diagnosis and Monitoring of Disease.”

Robert H. Christenson, PhD, DABCC, FACB, professor of pathology and medical and research technology with the University of Maryland School of Medicine, plans to discuss how labs can leverage biomarkers to test for, diagnose and monitor patients with CKD.

About 66% of the U.S. adult population aged 20 and older are at risk for eventually developing this disease. These individuals are also likely to have hypertension, diabetes or a family history of chronic disease. “Screening of high risk individuals, along with subsequent confirmation of diagnosis and monitoring of the diagnosed, can be accomplished in a structured, financially feasible plan with the right biomarkers being utilized at the correct time in the continuum of disease,” according to AACC’s summary of the webinar, which is scheduled for May 5.

Christenson will discuss the following points:

1. Importance of education (for both patients and medical professionals) on the risk of CKD, especially in light of the ease of point-of-care urine-strip albumin-to-creatinine ratio (ACR) testing and the ability of this test to rule out disease.

2. Diagnosis using a combination of ACR and glomelular filtration rate (GFR) is an accurate way to diagnose CKD with strong positive predictive values.

3. GFR is essential in detecting and managing CKD, but is difficult to measure directly and is usually estimated. The Kidney Disease Improving Global Outcomes guideline recommends use of a cystatin C–based estimated eGFR to confirm creatinine-based eGFR calculations within a certain range, while other studies support considering the type of patient being treated and the indication for testing before choosing a definitive method to calculate GFR.

4. Alternative ways to determine eGFR and determining eGFR in special clinical settings (e.g., dialysis, pediatric, and transplant patients).

The webinar takes place May 5. Register online to attend this informative session on CKD biomarkers and earn 1.0 ACCENT credits.