Creatinine Levels What They Mean

What is creatinine, and what does a too high value of this substance in the blood and urine indicate? Let's find out together. Periodically checking values ​​is essential in the routine examinations that each of us should perform at least once a year and above all in the prevention plans of cardiovascular and oncological diseases, as well as during a true therapeutic path. As for creatinine, it is valuable to check to verify the health and correct functioning of the kidneys. Let's dig deeper and understand what it is and what are creatinine levels and what it means to have high or low creatinine.

Creatinine Levels What They Mean

What is Creatinine

Creatinine is a waste chemical resulting from the energy production processes in the muscles, produced by the liver, kidneys, and pancreas. The presence of this compound in the blood is, therefore, absolutely regular, but a high or low concentration of it can indicate a malfunction of the kidneys.

As with other waste substances, the kidneys take care of its expulsion through the urine after having filtered it from the blood. When the kidneys aren't working correctly, the procedure of filtering and excreting creatinine (as well as other components) does not take place adequately.

Why Perform this Check

Suppose you exclude the control of creatinine values ​​during an ongoing therapy for renal insufficiency to verify the effectiveness of the same. In that case, the doctor usually tends to prescribe this test in the presence of some symptoms :

• fatigue
• swelling around the eyes;
• swelling in the feet or ankles;
• reduced appetite;
• frequent and painful urination;
• urine that is foamy or with traces of blood in it.

In addition, creatinine may need to be checked if the patient has certain risk factors for kidney disease, in particular:

• Type 1 or type 2 diabetes;
• High blood pressure;
• Family history of kidney disease.

Finally, creatinine is checked to monitor the function of a transplanted kidney.

How to measure creatinine

As mentioned, a creatinine test is done to check if the kidneys usually function. The exam generally includes two methods of execution:

• Creatininemia, which is the blood test;

• Creatininuria, Urinalysis.

As for the blood test, a standard sample is taken from the arm, to be carried out fasting (for at least 8 hours) and avoiding physical exertion.

For the urinalysis, however, it is necessary to collect them in the 24 hours preceding the test.

How is urine collected for this exam?

Excluding the morning's first urine, the rest is collected in a particular container, including the first pee of the following day. Must Keep the collected urine in the refrigerator to avoid bacterial proliferation. Examining azotemia (Urea), another critical parameter for monitoring renal health, is also associated with controlling this substance.

Creatinine Levels: reference values

When it comes to high or low creatinine?

What are reference values, and what does an excess or a lack of this substance in our blood imply?

Let's start by saying that the blood value considered normal for creatinine in the blood is between 0.84 and 1.21 milligrams per deciliter (mg/dl). Still, the control range is generally indicated in the report prepared by the analysis center. Where you go, therefore, it is advisable to always adhere to what is reported.

Typical urinary creatinine values ​​are 0.8 g per 24 hours and depend on muscle mass. High creatinine can indicate a malfunction of the kidneys, to be investigated with further tests to understand if it is a kidney failure or other pathologies. As we mentioned earlier, conditions such as diabetes or hypertension can affect kidney functioning, as can urinary tract infections or autoimmune diseases.

Furthermore, it could be a temporary increase in values, perhaps the result of a high-protein diet, intensive physical training, muscle trauma, hyperthyroidism, dehydration, or the intake of certain drugs. Low creatinine, however, is a rare condition that does not cause concern. Some subjects have lower than average values, particularly during pregnancy, in old age, due to a low-protein diet, or in the presence of muscle or liver diseases.

Glomerular Filtration Rate (GFR)

As important as it is, the creatinine analysis is insufficient to understand if the kidneys function correctly because their values ​​are influenced by several parameters, including age, sex, ethnicity, and weight. For some years, the analysis of GFR, an acronym for Glomerular Filtration Rate, in Italian Glomerular Filtration Rate, has been added to the creatinine test. Things?

This value indicates how quickly the kidneys filter blood, an indication that can provide a more accurate reading of kidney function. When calculating this GFR, the creatinine value in the blood is considered and related to the parameters indicated above (age, sex, weight, etc.).

You may be having kidney disease when the GFR value is

• Less than 60 mL/min for three months;
• Less than 60 mL/min with signs of kidney damage.

Creatinine Clearance and Albumin / Creatinine Ratio

Two other control methods can also be added to the creatinine analysis :

• Creatinine clearance, which in Italian is equivalent to purified creatinine;
• The albumin/creatinine ratio.

Let's deepen.

Creatinine Clearance Creatinine clearance measures how well the kidneys filter creatinine from the bloodstream for excretion in the urine. To determine this value, both the blood and urine samples are analyzed, which are then related, and it is reported as milliliters of creatinine per minute per body surface area (mL/min / BSA).

The range varies from man to woman; even, in this case, we recommend that you follow what is indicated in the report. If the result is low, kidney failure may be ongoing. If, on the other hand, it is tall, then it could simply indicate a person with low muscle mass. It will be the doctor who will interpret the data collected and evaluate the need for further investigations.

Albumin / Creatinine ratio

Another interpretation of the urinary creatinine count is called the albumin/creatinine ratio. The blood contains a protein called albumin. which healthy kidneys generally do not filter. Consequently, it should not result in the urine except in minimal quantities. The albumin/creatinine ratio describes the amount of albumin in a urine sample relative to creatinine.

Results indicating a healthy kidney are, on average:

• for adult men, less than 17 mg / g;
• for adult women, less than 25 mg / g.

A higher result may indicate kidney disease, in particular, a complication of diabetes called diabetic nephropathy or diabetic kidney disease.

The doctor will interpret the results obtained and evaluate the need or not to carry out further tests.