Inside STAT: Push to remove racist bias from kidney testing gains new ground

(ADOBE)

A yearslong push to eliminate racist bias from a commonly used test to measure kidney function has gained new traction. The test has historically considered four factors, but the race category — which only allows physicians to classify people as Black or not Black — is based on a flawed assumption that Black people have higher muscle mass and higher kidney function. This race-based assessment skews data to suggest Black patients have better kidney function, and therefore could delay further treatment such as transplants. Beth Israel Deaconess Medical Center in Boston removed race-based reporting of kidney function back in 2017, and the University of Washington recently also made the switch. Major societies, including the American Kidney Foundation, are now convening a task force to examine race in kidney testing. Read more from STAT's Theresa Gaffney here.