ALB and kidney failure: In 2011, a predictive model called the Kidney Failure Risk Equation (KFRE) incorporating four variables (age, sex, eGFR, urine albumin-to-creatinine ratio [ACR]) or eight variables (age, sex, eGFR, ACR, serum calcium, phosphate, bicarbonate, and albumin) [16] was developed with excellent predictive performance for ESKD risk in a Canadian population [16].