Estimation of glomerular filtration rate in children: interest of FAS formula

The recommended equation to estimate the value of glomerular filtration rate (eGFR) among children is Schwartz equation updated in 2009. However, it is few frequently used because involves height, a factor rarely documented for laboratories, especially hospital laboratories. The FAS (Full Aged Spectrum) formula developed by a European group, allows to get away from this factor. We compared CKD-EPI (Chronic Kidney Disease-EPIdemiology collaboration) and FAS formulas to Schwartz equation to estimate GFR in children. We realized a retrospective study included 1.668 children between 2 and 14 years old, whose serum creatinine had been measured during their hospitalization stay. We showed that FAS formula is correlated to Schwartz (r = 0.88), with a mean underestimation of eGFR at 6.2% versus CKD-EPI which has a correlation coefficient equal to 0.45 and overestimates eGFR to approximatively 42.0% compared to Schwartz formula. Furthermore, concordance at 30% is 99% with FAS whereas it’s only 35% with CKD-EPI. Thus, we recommend using the FAS formula to estimate GFR in children between 2 and 14 years old when their height is not available.