Creatinine
Serum creatinine (a blood measurement) is an important indicator of renal health because it is easily-measured. Creatinine is a chemical waste molecule that is generated from muscle metabolism. Creatinine is produced from creatine, a molecule for energy production in muscles. Approximately 2% of the body's creatine is converted to creatinine every day. There is little or no reabsorption of creatinine. If filtering through the kidney is deficient, creatinine blood levels rise. The kidneys filter out most of the creatinine and dispose of it in the urine. Creatinine levels in blood and urine may be used to calculate a 24 hour urine creatinine clearance. This reflects the glomerular filtration rate (GFR).
Men tend to have higher levels of creatinine than women because they generally have a greater mass of skeletal muscle. Increased dietary intake of creatine or eating a lot of meat can increase creatinine.
Normal Men = 0.7 to 1.3 mg/dL
Normal Women = 0.6 to 1.1 mg/dL
Females usually have lower creatinine than males, because they usually have less muscle mass.
Prior to a blood creatinine being drawn, your physician may tell you to stop certain drugs. Among those are:
Amino glycosides (for example, gentamicin)
Cimetidine
Heavy metal chemotherapy drugs (for example, cisplatin)
Kidney damaging drugs such as cephalosporins (for example, cephalexin)
Non steroidal anti-inflammatory drugs (NSAIDs)
Trim
Trimethoprim
What Are Some Tests for Creatinine?
Some get a 24 hour urinary creatinine clearance. Others get a 2 hour iothalmate clearance done in a renal lab.
Creatine Clearance
This is a 24 hour urine collection that is measured and the serum creatinine is also taken at the completion of the exam.
Iothalmate Clearance
This is done in the renal laboratory and takes about 2 hours. An injection of iothalmate is involved and an ultrasound is performed to determine if the bladder has been fully emptied at the different phases of the study. Below in the pulldown menu, are articles comparing these methods for measuring GFR.
Post liver Transplant, doctors may wish to consider a Serum Cystatin C test for GFR.
How to Bring Down Slightly Elevated Creatinine?
↑Water. Increase the amount of water you drink, especially just before testing.
(Dehydration, diuretics may cause diminished creatinine levels.)
↑ Alkalinity. Remain alkaline.
↓ Blood Pressure. Keep blood pressure consistently low.
↓ Proteinuria. Assure urinary protein spillage is low.
↓ Exercise just before testing. Refrain from vigorous exercise 2-3 days before testing.
↓ high sodium drinks.
↓ meat intake (high creatine foods, beef, pork, steak, fish, tuna, salmon, herring).
Creatine supplement
Creatine supplements would be best to lay aside with PKD. It will likely increase the amount of creatinine, of kidney functioning.
