The short answer
eGFR estimates how much your kidneys filter from your blood each minute, from a creatinine test, your age and your sex. 90 or more is normal. An eGFR under 60 that lasts three months or more is chronic kidney disease.1
Check your result
Type the number from your report. It stays on this page.
- Kidney failure Under 15
- Severe 15 to 29
- Moderate to severe 30 to 44
- Mild to moderate 45 to 59
- Mildly lower 60 to 89
- Normal 90 or more
Enter your result to see what it means and what to do next.
Got a result from another lab? Ask Picardo about it. The app explains your results, and a physician can follow up.
Stages from the KDIGO 2024 guideline. A stage only counts as kidney disease if it lasts three months or more.1 Labcorp flags anything under 60.2 The bar isn’t to scale.
Normal kidney filtering
Your kidneys are filtering at a normal rate.1 Early kidney damage can still show up as albumin in your urine before eGFR falls, which is why guidelines pair the two tests.1
Nothing to worry about.
- 1 If you have high blood pressure, diabetes or heart disease, check your eGFR and urine albumin every year.5,6
- 2 Otherwise, recheck every 2 to 5 years as part of a routine checkup.5
Mildly lower, but not kidney disease on its own
KDIGO calls this mildly decreased, compared with a young adult. On its own it isn’t kidney disease. It only counts if your urine albumin is raised or there are other signs of kidney damage.1
Not a worry on its own.
- 1 Check your urine albumin. A result of 30 mg/g or more on 2 of 3 tests over 3 to 6 months would make this kidney disease.1,6
- 2 If you have high blood pressure, diabetes or heart disease, recheck both tests every year.5,6
Under 60, so it needs a repeat test
If it stays under 60 for three months or more, this is stage 3a chronic kidney disease.1 One result isn’t enough to say: a short-term kidney injury or a recent meat meal can lower it for a while, and a lot of muscle lowers it all the time.1
Not urgent, but don’t leave it. Repeat the test, and see a clinician if it stays low.
- 1 Repeat the test with cystatin C, which muscle and diet barely affect. KDIGO recommends combining creatinine and cystatin C from the same blood sample when creatinine may be misleading.1
- 2 Check your urine albumin. With eGFR, it sets your risk.1
- 3 If it stays low, ask a clinician about blood pressure, medicines that protect your kidneys and, if you’re 50 or older, a statin.1
Moderately to severely lower
If it lasts three months, this is stage 3b chronic kidney disease.1 At this level, the risk of heart disease and early death rises along with the risk of kidney failure.7
See a clinician in the next few weeks.
- 1 Repeat the test with cystatin C and a urine albumin test to confirm it.1
- 2 Ask about an SGLT2 inhibitor. At this eGFR, KDIGO recommends or suggests one whether or not you have diabetes.1
- 3 Have your medicines reviewed. Some need lower doses, and anti-inflammatory painkillers such as ibuprofen can harm your kidneys.1
Severely lower: see a kidney specialist
If it lasts, this is stage 4 chronic kidney disease. KDIGO advises care from a kidney specialist below 30, partly to plan ahead in case your kidneys fail.1
Book an appointment within the next week or two. If it’s a sudden drop from a normal result, get seen sooner.
In the kidney failure range
KDIGO calls an eGFR under 15 kidney failure.1 If you didn’t know your kidneys were this low, it may be a sudden kidney injury.1
If this is new or unexpected, contact a clinician today, or go to urgent care if you feel unwell.
- 1 Share the result with your clinician or kidney specialist straight away.
- 2 If you already see a kidney specialist, follow the plan you’ve agreed for this level.
What is a normal eGFR level?
Labs flag an eGFR under 60.2 Your stage depends on it, but a low result only counts as kidney disease if it lasts three months or more, and the albumin in your urine matters as much as the eGFR:1
Normal kidney filtering
Your kidneys are filtering at a normal rate.1 Early kidney damage can still show up as albumin in your urine before eGFR falls, which is why guidelines pair the two tests.1
Nothing to worry about.
Mildly lower, but not kidney disease on its own
KDIGO calls this mildly decreased, compared with a young adult. On its own it isn’t kidney disease. It only counts if your urine albumin is raised or there are other signs of kidney damage.1
Not a worry on its own.
Under 60, so it needs a repeat test
If it stays under 60 for three months or more, this is stage 3a chronic kidney disease.1 One result isn’t enough to say: a short-term kidney injury or a recent meat meal can lower it for a while, and a lot of muscle lowers it all the time.1
Not urgent, but don’t leave it. Repeat the test, and see a clinician if it stays low.
- 1 Repeat the test with cystatin C, which muscle and diet barely affect. KDIGO recommends combining creatinine and cystatin C from the same blood sample when creatinine may be misleading.1
- 2 Check your urine albumin. With eGFR, it sets your risk.1
- 3 If it stays low, ask a clinician about blood pressure, medicines that protect your kidneys and, if you’re 50 or older, a statin.1
Moderately to severely lower
If it lasts three months, this is stage 3b chronic kidney disease.1 At this level, the risk of heart disease and early death rises along with the risk of kidney failure.7
See a clinician in the next few weeks.
- 1 Repeat the test with cystatin C and a urine albumin test to confirm it.1
- 2 Ask about an SGLT2 inhibitor. At this eGFR, KDIGO recommends or suggests one whether or not you have diabetes.1
- 3 Have your medicines reviewed. Some need lower doses, and anti-inflammatory painkillers such as ibuprofen can harm your kidneys.1
Severely lower: see a kidney specialist
If it lasts, this is stage 4 chronic kidney disease. KDIGO advises care from a kidney specialist below 30, partly to plan ahead in case your kidneys fail.1
Book an appointment within the next week or two. If it’s a sudden drop from a normal result, get seen sooner.
In the kidney failure range
KDIGO calls an eGFR under 15 kidney failure.1 If you didn’t know your kidneys were this low, it may be a sudden kidney injury.1
If this is new or unexpected, contact a clinician today, or go to urgent care if you feel unwell.
- 1 Share the result with your clinician or kidney specialist straight away.
- 2 If you already see a kidney specialist, follow the plan you’ve agreed for this level.
What is eGFR?
Think of your kidneys as a pair of filters. GFR is how much fluid they filter from your blood each minute. Measuring it directly takes hours of timed tests, so labs estimate it from one blood test instead: that’s the “e” in eGFR.
The estimate starts with creatinine, a waste product your muscles make at a steady rate and your kidneys filter out. When your kidneys filter less, creatinine builds up, and an equation turns your level, age and sex into an eGFR.1,3
Labcorp uses the 2021 CKD-EPI equation, which doesn’t include race.2 US kidney societies recommended it in 2021, along with wider use of a second marker, cystatin C.4
What do the kidney disease stages mean?
Your stage comes from two numbers: your eGFR and the albumin in your urine. Together they predict your risk of kidney failure, and of heart disease and early death too.1,7
| eGFR | Albumin under 30 | Albumin 30 to 299 | Albumin 300 or more |
|---|---|---|---|
| 90 or more (G1) | Low | Moderate | High |
| 60 to 89 (G2) | Low | Moderate | High |
| 45 to 59 (G3a) | Moderate | High | Very high |
| 30 to 44 (G3b) | High | Very high | Very high |
| 15 to 29 (G4) | Very high | Very high | Very high |
| Under 15 (G5) | Very high | Very high | Very high |
Risk that kidney disease gets worse, from KDIGO 2024. Albumin is your urine albumin-to-creatinine ratio, in mg/g. Low risk, with no other sign of kidney damage, isn’t kidney disease.1
A low eGFR with normal urine albumin can carry less risk than a normal eGFR with a lot of albumin. That’s why guidelines ask for both tests, at least once a year once you have kidney disease, and more often at higher risk.1
Can your eGFR be wrong?
Yes, because creatinine depends on your muscles and diet as well as your kidneys. About 87% of results land within 30% of a measured GFR.3 These can throw it off:1
- More muscle, a high-protein diet or creatine supplements, which make eGFR read low
- A cooked meat meal in the 12 hours before the test, which lowered it by about 20 points in one study
- Very little muscle, from age, illness, an amputation or an eating disorder, which can make it read high
- Some medicines that block how your kidneys clear creatinine
When it matters, KDIGO recommends adding cystatin C, a second marker that muscle barely affects. An eGFR from both is more accurate than either one alone.1,3
How to improve eGFR
In chronic kidney disease, the realistic aim is to slow the decline. These help, and the first three are backed by large trials:
- SGLT2 inhibitors
Pills such as dapagliflozin and empagliflozin. In a trial of 6,609 people with kidney disease, with or without diabetes, empagliflozin cut the risk of kidney disease getting worse or death from heart disease by 28%.8 KDIGO recommends one with type 2 diabetes, heart failure or urine albumin of 200 mg/g or more, from an eGFR of 20.1
- How much it helps
- Some
- How sure we are
- Very sure
- ACE inhibitors or ARBs
Blood pressure pills such as lisinopril or losartan. They protect your kidneys most when your urine albumin is raised. KDIGO advises them then, especially with diabetes or at 300 mg/g or more.1
- How much it helps
- Some
- How sure we are
- Very sure
- Semaglutide, with type 2 diabetes
In the FLOW trial of people with type 2 diabetes and kidney disease, weekly semaglutide injections cut the risk of kidney failure, a large drop in eGFR or death from kidney or heart disease by 24%.9 The ADA recommends a GLP-1 drug with proven kidney benefit.6
- How much it helps
- Some
- How sure we are
- Very sure
- Lower blood pressure
KDIGO suggests a top number under 120 if you can tolerate it, measured the standard way in a clinic.1
- How much it helps
- Some
- How sure we are
- Fairly sure
- Less salt and not too much protein
With kidney disease, KDIGO suggests under 2 g of sodium a day. Once eGFR is under 60, it suggests keeping protein to about 0.8 g per kg of body weight a day.1
- How much it helps
- A little
- How sure we are
- Early evidence
Some of them cause a small, expected dip in eGFR in the first weeks. That’s not a reason to stop. KDIGO advises continuing an SGLT2 inhibitor through the dip, and an ACE inhibitor or ARB unless creatinine rises by more than 30% within 4 weeks.1
Finerenone adds protection for people with type 2 diabetes and raised urine albumin.1,6 Its use is widening to kidney disease with type 1 diabetes or no diabetes; the urine albumin page has the latest trials. Avoid regular anti-inflammatory painkillers such as ibuprofen and naproxen, and check with a pharmacist before taking supplements or herbal remedies. Some can harm your kidneys.1
Who should get an eGFR test?
It comes with the standard metabolic panel, so you may have had one already. US guidelines set how often by your risk:5
- No risk factors: at least every 5 years.
- Extra weight or prediabetes: at least every 2 to 3 years.
- High blood pressure, diabetes, heart disease or triglycerides of 150 mg/dL or more: every year, with a urine albumin test.5,6
It’s also worth testing if a relative has kidney failure, or you’ve had repeated kidney stones, lupus, HIV, preeclampsia or a kidney injury, or you were born early.1
How to get an eGFR test, and what it costs
It comes from the comprehensive metabolic panel, which costs $4.00 through Picardo. The Heart Health panel adds 16 more tests from the same visit for $150.90.
Heart Health panel
eGFR is half of a kidney check. The panel adds the urine albumin test that completes it, and heart tests such as ApoB and Lp(a), because kidney disease raises heart risk. See what’s in it
Comprehensive metabolic panel
The test this number comes from.
- Results in 2 to 3 days, in the app
- Physician follow-up if you want one
- Free Labcorp draw, or $75 at home
- No other fees. HSA and FSA eligible.
It’s also part of the Base Core Annual – Men, Base Core Annual – Women, Brain Health Screening, Pregnancy, Postpartum, Fertility, Thyroid & Autoimmunity and Celiac / GI panels, if you want a wider checkup.
Already have a result? Ask Picardo about itQuestions people ask
Is an eGFR of 55 bad?
It’s mildly to moderately lower than normal. If it’s still under 60 three months later, it counts as stage 3a chronic kidney disease. With normal urine albumin, KDIGO rates the risk of it getting worse as moderate, the same as a normal eGFR with moderately raised urine albumin.1
Can eGFR go back up?
Sometimes. A low result from a meat meal or a medicine that blocks creatinine clearance is temporary, and kidney function can recover after a short-term injury.1 In chronic kidney disease, treatment aims to slow the decline. SGLT2 inhibitors and ACE inhibitors cause a small, expected dip in the first weeks, then slow the fall.1,8
I lift weights. Could that lower my eGFR?
Yes. More muscle makes more creatinine, which the equation reads as weaker filtering. High-protein diets and creatine supplements do the same. KDIGO lists all of these as reasons to check cystatin C, which muscle barely affects.1
Why doesn’t eGFR use race anymore?
Older equations added a race factor that raised eGFR for Black patients, which could delay a diagnosis. Since 2021, the US kidney societies have recommended an equation without race.4 Labcorp uses it, and it’s similarly accurate overall for Black and non-Black adults.2,3
Is a very high eGFR better?
Not necessarily. In data from millions of adults, a creatinine-based eGFR of 105 or more went with a higher risk of death than 90 to 104, a pattern that faded when cystatin C was used.1,7 Low muscle, which makes creatinine read low and eGFR read high, is one likely reason.1
How much can eGFR change between tests?
In people with kidney disease, a change of more than 20% between tests is more than normal variation and is worth looking into.1
Often checked alongside
Test details
- Labcorp test
- Metabolic Panel (14), Comprehensive, 322000
- LOINC
- 98979-8
- Sample
- Blood
- Fasting
- 12 hours for the metabolic panel. It also keeps a meat meal from lowering your eGFR.1
- Typical lab range
- Over 59 mL/min/1.73 m²2
- Units
- mL/min/1.73 m², the milliliters filtered from your blood each minute, scaled to an average-sized adult
Sources
- 1 Kidney Disease: Improving Global Outcomes (KDIGO) CKD Work Group. KDIGO 2024 clinical practice guideline for the evaluation and management of chronic kidney disease. Kidney Int. 2024;105(4S):S117–S314. doi.org/10.1016/j.kint.2023.10.018
- 2 Labcorp. Glomerular filtration rate, estimated (eGFR), test 100768. Labcorp test menu. Accessed October 28, 2026. www.labcorp.com/tests/100768/glomerular-filtration-rate-estimated-egfr
- 3 Inker LA, Eneanya ND, Coresh J, et al. New creatinine- and cystatin C–based equations to estimate GFR without race. N Engl J Med. 2021;385(19):1737–1749. doi.org/10.1056/NEJMoa2102953
- 4 Delgado C, Baweja M, Crews DC, et al. A unifying approach for GFR estimation: recommendations of the NKF-ASN Task Force on Reassessing the Inclusion of Race in Diagnosing Kidney Disease. J Am Soc Nephrol. 2021;32(12):2994–3015. doi.org/10.1681/ASN.2021070988
- 5 Ndumele CE, Rodriguez F, Dixon DL, et al. 2026 AHA/ACC/ADA/ASN guideline for the prevention, detection, evaluation, and management of cardiovascular-kidney-metabolic syndrome: a report of the American College of Cardiology/American Heart Association Joint Committee on Clinical Practice Guidelines. Circulation. 2026;154(4):e50–e158. doi.org/10.1161/CIR.0000000000001453
- 6 American Diabetes Association Professional Practice Committee for Diabetes. 11. Chronic kidney disease and risk management: Standards of Care in Diabetes—2026. Diabetes Care. 2026;49(Suppl 1):S246–S260. doi.org/10.2337/dc26-S011
- 7 Writing Group for the CKD Prognosis Consortium; Grams ME, Coresh J, Matsushita K, et al. Estimated glomerular filtration rate, albuminuria, and adverse outcomes: an individual-participant data meta-analysis. JAMA. 2023;330(13):1266–1277. doi.org/10.1001/jama.2023.17002
- 8 The EMPA-KIDNEY Collaborative Group; Herrington WG, Staplin N, et al. Empagliflozin in patients with chronic kidney disease. N Engl J Med. 2023;388(2):117–127. doi.org/10.1056/NEJMoa2204233
- 9 Perkovic V, Tuttle KR, Rossing P, et al. Effects of semaglutide on chronic kidney disease in patients with type 2 diabetes. N Engl J Med. 2024;391(2):109–121. doi.org/10.1056/NEJMoa2403347
Updated 28 Oct 2026.
This is general health information, not medical advice: talk to your clinician about your results and before changing any treatment.