Creatinine blood test

Overview A creatinine test is a measure of how well your kidneys are performing their job of filtering waste from your blood. Creatinine is a chemical compound left over from energy-producing processes in your muscles. Healthy kidneys filter creatinine out of the blood. Creatinine exits your body as a waste product in urine. Why it's done Your doctor or other health care provider may order a creatinine test for the following reasons: • To make a diagnosis if you have signs or symptoms of kidney disease • To screen for kidney disease if you have diabetes, high blood pressure or other conditions that increase the risk of kidney disease • To monitor kidney disease treatment or progression • To monitor for side effects of drugs that may include kidney damage or altered kidney function • To monitor the function of a transplanted kidney • • • How you prepare A standard blood test is used to measure creatinine levels in your blood (serum creatinine). Your doctor may ask you not to eat (fast) overnight before the test. For a creatinine urine test, you may need to collect urine over 24 hours in containers provided by the clinic. For either test, you may need to avoid eating meat for a certain period before the test. If you take a creatine supplement, you'll likely need to stop use. What you can expect For a serum creatinine test, a member of your health care team takes a blood sample by inserting a needle into a vein in your arm. For a urine test, you’ll need to provide a single sa...

• Your liver produces ammonia — which contains nitrogen — after it breaks down proteins used by your body's cells. • The nitrogen combines with other elements, such as carbon, hydrogen and oxygen, to form urea, which is a chemical waste product. • The urea travels from your liver to your kidneys through your bloodstream. • Healthy kidneys filter urea and remove other waste products from your blood. • The filtered waste products leave your body through urine. A BUN test can reveal whether your urea nitrogen levels are higher than normal, suggesting that your kidneys may not be working properly. Why it's done You may need a BUN test: • If your doctor suspects that you have kidney disease or damage • If your kidney function needs to be evaluated, especially if you have a chronic condition such as diabetes or high blood pressure • To help determine the effectiveness of dialysis treatment if you're receiving hemodialysis or peritoneal dialysis • As part of a blood test group to help diagnose a number of other conditions, such as liver damage, urinary tract obstruction, congestive heart failure or gastrointestinal bleeding — although an abnormal BUN test result alone doesn't confirm any of these conditions If kidney problems are the main concern, the creatinine levels in your blood will likely also be measured when your blood is tested for urea nitrogen levels. Creatinine is another waste product that healthy kidneys filter out of your body through urine. High levels of creatini...

Why are blood creatinine levels checked? The kidneys maintain the blood creatinine in a normal range. Creatinine is a fairly reliable indicator of kidney function. Elevated creatinine level signifies impaired kidney function or As the kidneys become impaired for any reason, the creatinine level in the blood will rise due to poor clearance of creatinine by the kidneys. Abnormally high levels of creatinine thus warn of possible malfunction or failure of the kidneys. It is for this reason that standard blood tests routinely check the amount of creatinine in the blood. A more precise measure of kidney function can be estimated by calculating how much creatinine is cleared from the body by the kidneys. This is referred to as creatinine clearance and it estimates the rate of filtration by kidneys (glomerular filtration rate, or GFR). The creatinine clearance can be measured in two ways. • It can be calculated (estimated) by a formula using serum (blood) creatinine level, patient's weight, and age. The formula is 140 minus the patient's age in years times their weight in kilograms (times 0.85 for women), divided by 72 times the serum creatinine level in mg/dL. • Creatinine clearance can also be more directly measured by collecting a 24-hour urine sample and then drawing a blood sample. The creatinine levels in both urine and blood are determined and compared. Normal creatinine clearance for healthy women is 88-128 mL/min. and 97 to 137 mL/min. in males (normal levels may vary sli...

Blood creatinine levels are checked to assess kidney function. Creatinine is a waste product in your blood that comes from normal muscle wear and tear. The kidneys are responsible for the removal of creatinine from the blood, so if your kidney function declines, creatinine levels in the blood rise. Creatinine levels are checked to assess kidney function. They are usually checked with another kidney function marker called BUN, or blood urea nitrogen. These tests used together give an indication of overall kidney function, but the best way to know if your kidneys are working properly is to measure the glomerular filtration rate (GFR). • GFR is a calculation that takes into account creatinine levels, along with age, gender, race, and weight. • The GFR can be an indicator of • A GFR below 60 for three months or above 60 with signs of kidney damage (for example, protein in the urine is a sign of kidney damage) may be a sign of Your normal blood creatinine level will vary based on many factors. Normal blood creatinine levels vary and depend on age, race, gender, and body size. Normal serum creatinine ranges are: • 0.6–1.1 mg/dL in women and adolescents aged 16 and older • 0.8–1.3 mg/dL in men and adolescents aged 16 and older • 0.2 or more in infants, depending on muscle development Serum creatinine ranges are lower for women because women have less muscle mass and, thus, a lower rate of creatinine formation and excretion. Normal blood creatinine levels also vary by race. • For ...

Overview What is the creatinine clearance test? The creatinine clearance test is an older test used to check your kidney function. This test allows your healthcare provider to look at samples of your urine and blood to see how much of the waste product — creatinine — is filtered out by your kidneys. Abnormal levels of creatinine in your urine and blood could point to an issue like kidney disease. Done in two parts, the creatinine clearance test involves collecting your urine over a 24-hour period of time and then having your blood drawn. These samples are then tested to see how much creatinine was filtered through your kidneys over the 24-hour window. The results of the test will be used in a mathematic formula that figures out your creatinine clearance. Creatinine clearance is one way to estimate your glomerular filtration rate (GFR), or how well the kidneys are filtering your blood. The GFR is the main number used by your provider to determine how well your kidneys are working. The creatinine clearance test is not used very often any more. It has largely been replaced by the estimated GFR (eGFR) equations using creatinine levels in the blood — which means a 24-hour urine collection is not needed. What is creatinine? Creatinine is actually a waste product of creatine. Creatine is a chemical that your body uses to supply your muscles with energy. As you muscles use energy the tissue that makes up your muscles breaks down. This natural breakdown of muscle tissue causes crea...

A creatinine blood test measures the level of creatinine in the blood. Creatinine is a waste product that forms when creatine, which is found in your muscle, breaks down. This test tells your doctor how well your kidneys are working. Each Creatinine is one of the substances that your kidneys normally eliminate from the body. Doctors measure the level of creatinine in the blood to check Creatinine blood tests are usually performed along with several other laboratory tests, including a Your doctor may order a creatinine blood test to assess your creatinine levels if you show signs of • • • swelling in the • • changes in urine • • • Kidney problems can be related to different diseases or conditions, including: • • • prostate disease, such as an • • decreased blood flow to the kidneys, which may be caused by • the death of kidney cells as a result of • streptococcal infections, such as Aminoglycoside medications, such as gentamicin (Garamycin, Gentasol), can also cause kidney damage in some people. If you’re taking this type of medication, your doctor may order regular creatinine blood tests to make sure your kidneys remain healthy. A creatinine blood test doesn’t require much preparation. Fasting isn’t necessary. You can and should eat and drink the same as you do normally to get an accurate result. However, it’s important to tell your doctor about any prescription or over-the-counter (OTC) medications you’re currently taking. Some drugs may increase your creatinine levels wi...