Assessing impact of fasting on kidney function measurement (GFR)
Research type
Research Study
Full title
Assessing impact of fasting on kidney function measurement (GFR)
IRAS ID
111162
Contact name
Mark Barnfield
Contact email
Sponsor organisation
Leeds Teaching Hospitals NHS Foundation Trust
Duration of Study in the UK
years, 6 months, days
Research summary
Glomerular Filtration Rate (GFR) is considered the best measure of kidney function, assessing the kidney's ability to filter substances from blood plasma. Isotope plasma clearance techniques (i.e. those using radioactive tracers) are currently viewed as a reference method for the measurement of GFR. The results of Isotopic GFR assessment are used in key patient management decisions, e.g. to determine the dosage of a number of chemotherapeutic drugs prescribed to Oncology patients and also during live donor work-up to determine their suitability prior to kidney donation. It is therefore important to make this measurement as accurate and precise as possible.
It is our experience that patients referred to the Nuclear Medicine department for GFR assessment, have other hospital appointments on the same day, some of which require them to go nil-by-mouth from the evening before their GFR test. Therefore, patients presenting for isotope GFR assessment may be suffering from varying degrees of dehydration due to their fast. At present, it is not fully understood how hydration status affects GFR measurement results as few studies have investigated this relationship.
We aim to evaluate the effects of a 12 hour nil-by-mouth fast on blood sample assessed GFR, by measuring the isotopic GFR of 12 volunteers twice: once when they have eaten and drank as normal, and once when they have gone nil-by-mouth for 12 hours preceding their test.
If fasting is found to cause a significant systematic difference in GFR measurement, protocol changes will be made i.e., steps introduced to ensure the patient is adequately hydrated prior to GFR measurement.
REC name
Yorkshire & The Humber - Leeds East Research Ethics Committee
REC reference
15/YH/0039
Date of REC Opinion
20 Mar 2015
REC opinion
Further Information Favourable Opinion