As it is pointed out that “Race is a social construct.” (Centerforhealth, 2017), why is race considered to be a clinical determinant of kidney function? How does it affect one’s kidney function?
Reference: Centerforhealth. (2017, October 24). Race is a social construct. Center for Health Progress. Retrieved January 13, 2023, from https://centerforhealthprogress.org/blog/race-social-construct/#:~:text=The%20genetic%20diversity%20that%20exists,a%20human%2Dinvented%20classification%20system.
The MDRD and original CKD-EPI equations were "products of their time" and "products of their culture" (the USA in particular), hence race was included because of the idea that on average "White" americans had less mussel mass than "Black." Importantly, the latest (2021) CKD-EPI equations have dropped the use of Race (New England Journal of Medicine 2021 November 4, 385 (19): 1737-1749). The CKD-EPI are better equations than the MDRD (particularly for those with GFR > 60), so I doubt anyone will look to update the MDRD equations. Ideally, one would calibrate these equations for the populations one wants to work with, but this is rarely done. It is not a given that an equation derived in a north american cohort is appropriately calibrated for a Japanese, or Australian, or Scandinavian etc cohort.
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