Serum Creatinine is present in the blood in a fixed amount in each individual. Creatinine is a naturally occurring by-product of muscle use that is created when a chemical called creatine breaks down. Creatinine is only a by-product and has no specific physiological function. It simply stays in the blood until it reaches the kidneys. Kidneys, where it is filtered and eliminated through urination. When to worry about Creatinine Levels?

Then, how does your body make creatinine? The liver, pancreas, and kidneys are the main organs responsible for producing creatine, which is the first step in the process. Creatine is transported by the blood to the skeletal muscles, where both its unrestricted and phosphorylated forms are stored. But stored creatine is mostly phosphorylated. This is also known as phosphocreatine or creatine phosphate. During exercise, your muscles use the stored creatine particles as energy to help them contract. Creatine is changed into creatinine, which is then used for energy before returning to the bloodstream and the kidneys.

Creatinine is released by muscles, enters the bloodstream, and is largely filtered at a constant rate. Despite the lack of any direct physiological benefits, creatinine. You can check the amount of creatinine in your blood to see how well your kidneys are working. Doctors frequently combine a creatinine test with other laboratory tests as a result of this. A blood urea nitrogen (BUN) test is one test used to detect renal failure or chronic kidney disease (CKD).

Creatinine Clues

Nephrologist Dr. Amy Yau of the Ohio State University Wexner Medical Center asserts that creatinine is essentially a by-product of the breakdown of skeletal muscle. There are many ways to get creatinine, and the body can also make it on its own. Cell deterioration or dietary factors may cause it. Examining the levels of creatinine is one way to determine how well the kidneys are working.

Creatinine is used to gauge kidney function. As, in Yau’s words, creatinine is “freely filtered.” It’s freely filtered by the kidneys. We now know what a typical creatinine level in most people with normal kidney function should be. Creatinine levels alone, however, do not give a complete picture.

They are combined with numerous other laboratory discoveries, including:

Glomerular filtration rate

Blood flow through the glomeruli is measured by the GFR in milliliters per minute. According to Yau, creatinine is typically measured and added to an equation. Many different types of equations can be used to estimate the GFR. It is what shows how well the kidney filters work. That GFR equation is stratified based on your age. Therefore, the normal creatinine level for a 20-year-old may not be the same as for another person. Or an 80-year-creatinine old’s level that isn’t too alarming.

Blood urea Nitrogen

BUN measures the amount of urea nitrogen, a by-product of protein digestion, in the blood. The protein waste is eliminated by healthy kidneys. BUN is a close indicator of kidney function, according to Yau. Dehydration, some medications, and a high-protein diet are a few other elements that can also play a role. To gain a general understanding of the kidney’s health, doctors combine the results of the creatinine, GFR, and BUN tests.

What is a safe creatinine concentration?

The unit of measurement for creatinine levels is milligrams per deciliter (mg/dL). The normal range for serum creatinine in most adults with healthy kidneys is 0.7 to 1.3 mg/dL for men and 0.6 to 1.1 mg/dL for women. There are numerous variables to take into account when determining what creatinine levels are normal. The concept of “normal” is a little arbitrary. Creatinine is produced during muscle breakdown. Therefore, the amount in your blood may change depending on your level of activity and muscle mass.

Before accurately measuring blood creatinine levels, a physician will first assess these various factors to establish a baseline, according to Taylor Graber, MD, an anesthesiologist and the founder of ASAP IVs. According to Dr. Graber, establishing a baseline for demographic information is the first step in measuring creatinine levels. Finding out what “normal levels” are will be helpful. Age, race, gender, and the size of one’s body all factor into this. After these values have been normalized, deviations from this range may signify kidney abnormalities.

Healthcare professionals like to check patients’ creatinine levels for a variety of reasons.  If you currently or previously had diabetes, kidney disease, kidney damage, or any other condition that has an impact on your kidneys. Or your doctor might decide to routinely order a creatinine measurement to check on how well your kidneys are functioning if you are taking a medication that could have an impact on them. The most common test types are blood and urine tests.

Urinary Creatinine Clearance

If the results of your creatinine blood test are elevated, your doctor might need more details. Women may take an opaque plastic jug and a “hat” for collecting urine. While men may leave the office with a handheld urinal. The next 24 hours of your urine should be collected as part of your homework. This is to enable the provision of a follow-up sample for additional testing. You must also consume eight glasses of liquid at a minimum during that time. To make sure the sample is big enough to figure out creatinine clearance, this is done. Moreover, the speed at which your kidneys eliminate creatinine from your body. Hospitalized patients occasionally undergo a 24-hour urine collection as part of their inpatient care.

Low Creatinine Levels

Low levels of creatinine are typically not harmful. However, low levels might be a sign of malnourishment. 

Lower creatinine levels could occur in these circumstances:

Pregnancy

Plasma makes up the majority of your blood. Creatinine is a concentration, as explained by Yau. “If your cell volume is increased because you are pregnant and carrying a baby, your creatinine (level) will be falsely low.”

Vegetarianism

According to Yau, vegetarians who don’t consume a lot of meat or protein may not have high levels of creatinine.

Muscle wasting

Al-Aly claims that a person who is extremely thin and frail, such as a nursing home resident. They did lose a lot of muscle mass and can have creatinine levels as low as 0.2 or 0.3 mg/dL. He emphasizes that this is not a sign that the kidney is functioning well. It suggests that they don’t even have enough remaining muscle to produce creatinine for us to measure.

COVID-19 and creatinine

Among the numerous organs that COVID-19 may affect are the lungs, brain, heart, liver, and kidneys. People with long COVID should have their creatinine levels closely monitored, according to a recent study. The researchers looked at de-identified data from more than 1.7 million veterans between March 2020 and mid-March 2021. Using a database of medical records kept by the U.S. Department of Veterans Affairs, we could determine whether they were healthy or infected. Even those with mild cases are at higher risk, as per the study done by Al-Aly and colleagues. Risk of end-stage kidney disease, chronic kidney disease, and kidney damage.

The researchers used the participants’ creatinine levels to find patterns in their GFR rates. The rate of GFR decline was highest in patients in the intensive care unit. It was followed by other hospitalized patients. Then patients with milder cases in the study that was published in the November 2021 issue of the Journal of the American Society of Nephrology.

Al-Aly says that COVID-19 can eventually lead to a wide range of manifestations. That was based on what we currently know about it. One of those signs is kidney disease. It is in that as a result of it, some individuals may experience elevated creatinine. Six months or even a year after the infection, it most definitely happens in some people.

Blood Test for Creatinine

The creatinine that is made in your blood is known as serum creatinine. And it can be quantified through a standard blood test. “When kidney function is impaired, less creatinine can be cleared. Dr. Graber claims that this causes a rise in blood creatinine levels. The kidneys’ health cannot be assessed based on the results of this test, but changes can be tracked over time.

Medical professionals can perform a creatinine blood test to determine your serum creatinine levels. You can use it to determine your body’s glomerular filtration rate (GFR). GFR measurements play a significant role in the diagnosis of chronic kidney disease and kidney failure. Your GFR can be assessed directly. However, the process might be challenging and drawn out. Instead, healthcare professionals can determine GFR using serum creatinine levels. When calculating your approximate GFR (eGFR), healthcare professionals will also take into account additional factors, such as:

• Age
• Gender
• Weight
• Height

Preparation for a creatinine test

Creatinine tests typically don’t require a lot of preparation beforehand. However, depending on the test, your doctor might suggest specific preparations to ensure an accurate result. You might be told, for instance, not to eat any cooked meat for 24 hours before a blood creatinine test. It might also be suggested that you hold off on any strenuous activity for two days before getting a creatinine test. If you eat meat and work out vigorously, your levels of creatinine might increase.

If you are getting a creatinine urine test. After that, ensure to stay hydrated by drinking lots of water throughout the 24-hour testing period. Take care when using the container that your healthcare provider gives you. And don’t forget to collect your urine as instructed over the course of 24 hours. You might be asked to store the urine collection in the refrigerator and return the urine container as directed by your doctor.

What do elevate creatinine levels mean?

You went to the doctor and had the required tests. You now are aware that your creatinine levels are high. Next, what? First step: Keep your cool. If your creatinine level is higher than normal, your kidneys might not necessarily be failing. If something is above the normal range (0.7 to 1.3 mg/dL for adult males and 0.6 to 1.1 mg/dL for adult females), a healthcare professional may investigate it further. however, does not necessarily indicate danger. Numerous factors can influence the results of a creatinine test. 

Here are a few illustrations:

Higher activity

Have your recent activity levels increased? attendance at the gym every day? This increase in muscle breakdown may lead to an increase in creatinine production.

Increased protein consumption

Cooked meats contain creatinine. So, you might detect higher levels if you regularly consume steak and roast chicken.

Dehydration

Dehydration may cause elevated levels of urine creatinine. If it is severe, dehydration can damage the kidneys.

Particular medications

On rare occasions, drugs may be to blame. Some heartburn remedies, such as cimetidine and some antibiotics like trimethoprim, can stop creatinine from being released. Ibuprofen is among the nonsteroidal anti-inflammatory drugs (NSAIDs) that can occasionally cause elevated creatinine levels.

Pregnancy

The blood flow to the kidneys may be increased during pregnancy, which could lead to lower serum creatinine levels. However, preeclamptic pregnant women have high blood pressure (preeclampsia). She may develop kidney damage, which would increase serum creatinine levels.

Creatinine levels that are higher than usual occasionally signal a serious medical condition. Several medical conditions that have been linked to high creatinine levels include the following:

• Kidney problems

High creatinine levels can be a sign of acute kidney failure, kidney infections, or chronic kidney disease.

• Obstruction of the urinary tract

If you can’t urinate, your body can’t get rid of creatinine. Kidney stones or other urinary disturbances may cause creatinine to persist in your bloodstream.

• Cardiovascular issues

Studies have shown a connection between elevated creatinine levels and hypertension, heart failure, and other heart conditions.

• Autoimmune diseases

Some autoimmune diseases may affect the kidneys. For instance, the autoimmune disease lupus can damage the kidneys. And also cause the levels of creatinine to rise.

• Kidney disease brought on by diabetes

One of the many complications that diabetes can bring on is kidney disease. A sign of diabetic kidney disease can be high creatinine levels.

What level of creatinine indicates kidney failure?

A creatinine level of over 1.4 in men and over 1.2 in women may indicate that the kidneys are not working properly. If creatinine levels are higher than normal, a doctor may advise additional tests to identify the problem. GFR measurement can be used to confirm kidney disease. A GFR of 60 or higher typically indicates normal kidney function. While a GFR of less than 60 is typically indicative of kidney disease. If you have kidney disease, your doctor may suggest treatment options. Kidney failure may occur when the GFR is less than 15, necessitating dialysis or a kidney transplant.

What happens when the creatinine level is low?

Low creatinine levels are not always detrimental. Aging naturally or a more serious condition like liver disease could be to blame. if your medical professional believes your creatinine levels are too low. They might run a serum creatinine test to identify any potential causes of Low Creatinine Levels. There are several main reasons for low creatinine levels, including:

• Decreased muscle mass

Creatinine production is directly correlated with a person’s muscle mass or amount of muscle. Getting older and specific illnesses, such as muscular dystrophy. Low creatinine levels can happen as a result of the muscles deteriorating. Low creatinine levels caused by aging are usually not concerning. But low creatinine levels caused by muscular dystrophy may call for medical attention.

• Liver problems

Since the liver is responsible for producing a large portion of the body’s creatine, low creatinine levels may be a sign of liver problems. Possible symptoms include nausea, upper right abdominal pain, fatigue, and jaundice.

• Malnutrition

Low creatinine may be brought on by dietary deficiencies. Since the primary source of creatine is meat. Vegetarians may have lower levels of creatine than meat eaters do. Low protein diets or inadequate protein intake can also result in low creatinine levels in patients. Fatigue and weight loss could be symptoms.

• Pregnancy

Low creatinine levels are frequently a characteristic of pregnancy. Low creatinine levels should rise after giving birth.

How to increase creatinine levels

Numerous factors can increase creatinine levels. The most effective ways to raise creatinine levels involve lifestyle changes. However, low creatinine levels might point to a more serious problem. Often, other problems must be resolved before treating low creatinine levels.

Eat more protein-rich foods

Increased consumption of foods high in protein may increase creatinine levels. Dairy products, meat, and fish are a few examples of foods high in protein. The highest creatine contents are found in fish and red meat.

Routine exercise

Creatinine is a by-product of creatine, which the muscles use as a source of energy when exercising. Regular, moderate-intensity exercise can also support muscle maintenance and growth to lower creatinine levels.

Treat the underlying condition

If underlying conditions like liver disease are the root of low creatinine levels, treatment may be necessary.

Additives for creatine

Creatine is one of the supplements for enhancing physical performance. And also, muscle growth has received the most research. According to research, there are many different forms of creatine, which is generally safe. Always consult your doctor for advice on using creatine for low creatinine levels.

Can creatinine levels change quickly?

Creatinine levels can fluctuate quickly even during the day. Medical professionals closely monitor them as a result. An anomaly may have occurred in one blood test that revealed a high blood creatinine level. A string of elevated test results, however, might indicate chronic kidney disease. A sudden increase in creatinine levels could indicate acute kidney disease or another condition depending on the symptoms.

What is the connection between high creatinine levels and cancer?

Typical creatinine levels can also be a sign of prostate or kidney cancer. A high or low creatinine level does not, however, alone indicate cancer. Instead, of just levels of creatinine, kidney disease may be more closely related to cancer. Some studies have found an increased risk of cancer in people with advanced chronic kidney disease. Furthermore, people with chronic kidney disease may be more likely to pass away from cancer. Additional factors that may influence how kidney disease affects cancer risk include diabetes, obesity, and smoking. 

Keeping your kidneys healthy

The best medical advice for improving kidney function is, ultimately, to maintain a consistently healthy lifestyle. Dr. Graber advises that you should gradually concentrate on avoiding unhealthy foods high in processed ingredients, increasing your intake of fruits and vegetables, exercising regularly (150 minutes per week of moderate-intensity aerobic activity or 75 minutes per week of vigorous-intensity aerobic activity), staying hydrated, and maintaining a healthy body weight (BMI of 20 to 25).

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