While a database of health information from Canada’s robust general population has been accumulating for generations and exists across the country, Manitoba is one of the only provinces where researchers have access to this unique database. For our pioneering nephrologists, this combination of access and data was the key to unlocking the gateway to big data research that had gone almost entirely unexplored in medicine.
Through an advanced medical lens, our dedicated specialists studied this data by evaluating decades worth of information. Examining patterns, their groundbreaking research aimed to pinpoint predictable indicators of the probable onset of chronic kidney disease. Their endeavors led to the discovery of the Kidney Failure Risk Equation (KFRE), a formula that can accurately predict the risk of kidney failure before it happens.
The Equation has since been proven and validated with over 700,000 patients in over 30 countries around the world, across diverse populations, ages, and environments.
Using just four factors, the KFRE calculates the likelihood that a person’s kidneys will fail in the next two to five years, and whether they’ll require dialysis or transplantation. Used by kidney doctors worldwide, the KFRE helps ensure that people with chronic kidney disease receive the most appropriate care, based on their individual risk level.
The KFRE can also assist physicians with patient-centered discussions, which helps to reduce the anxiety and fear felt by the newly diagnosed and those living with chronic kidney disease.
Currently, we are also conducting a Randomized Controlled Trial with our partners in primary care clinics in multiple provinces. Read more about it here.