The rate at which fluid is filtered through the kidney at the renal glomerulus, usually expressed in ml/min. It increases in normal pregnancy and is decreased in renal failure.
The rate at which the kidneys filter blood and remove waste matter.
A test used as an indicator of renal function that reflects the ability of the kidney to filter and reabsorb fluids.
Each of the two kidneys filters a large volume of blood 25 per cent of cardiac output, or around 1,300 ml through its two million glomeruli every minute. The glomeruli filter out cell, protein, and fat-free fluid which, after reabsorption of certain chemicals, is excreted as urine. The rate of this ultrafiltration process, which in health is remarkably constant, is called the glomerular filtration rate (GFR). Each day nearly 180 litres of water plus some small molecular-weight constituents of blood are filtrated, The GFR is thus an indicator of kidney function. The most widely used measurement is creatinine clearance and this is assessed by measuring the amount of creatinine in a 24-hour sample of urine and the amount of creatinine in the plasma; a formula is applied that gives the GFR.
The rate of urine formation as plasma passes through the glomeruli of the kidneys.