Sir.—I agree fully with the admonition of Shaw to "watch the acronyms, initialisms, and abbreviations" (Journal 1981;135:789). In addition, I wish to caution against "loose," if not incorrect, application of the word acronym. The author failed to adhere strictly to the original and generally accepted definition when he referred to GFR as an acronym, which should be classified insteasd as an initialism. To quote from Acronyms, Initialisms, and Abbreviations Dictionary,1
An acronym is composed of the inital letters or parts of a compound term. It is usually read or spoken as a single word, rather than letter by letter. Examples include RADAR (Radio Detection and Ranging) and LASER (Light Amplification by Stimulated Emission of Radiation). An initialism is also composed of the initial letters or parts of a compound term, but is generally verbalized letter by letter, rather than as a single 'word'. Examples include PO (Post Office) and RPM