How Does High Creatinine Levels Impact On Kidney Function?

The kidneys are a pair of bean-shaped organs that are the body’s primary excretory parts. It selectively eliminates products based on the body’s basic needs. It has a significant capacity to dilute and concentrate urine according to the body’s needs. Impairment in kidney function alters your blood chemistry, fluid balance, nutrient intake and well-being.
 

Elevated kidney function values such as high creatinine levels in the blood and urine determine the extent of kidney damage and cause of impairment. Another determining factor for elevated kidney function apart from blood values is presence of high creatinine urine. 
 

What Is Creatinine And How High Creatinine Levels Affect Your Kidney Function?

It is essential to know what and how high creatinine levels are linked to decline in kidney function. Creatinine is an unused product released from the muscle creatine. It is a critical component that produces energy to contract muscles when needed. It releases at a constant rate, and the amount of creatinine per unit of muscle mass is constant. 

Creatinine is usually removed from the blood and passed via urine. If your kidneys are not functioning properly, creatinine stays in the blood. Hence high creatinine levels indicate impaired kidney function.

Why Is Creatinine Evaluation Important?

Your physician might suggest a creatinine clearance test if you complain of the following symptoms:

• Nausea, vomiting
• Swollen legs and ankles
• Loss of appetite
• Tiredness and weakness
• Trouble sleeping
• Changes in urination

Important Kidney Function Tests

1. Creatinine And Glomerular Filtration Rate:

Serum creatinine and glomerular filtration rate values are the best indicators to determine kidney impairment. Your physician can check if there is high creatinine in urine and blood to determine how well your kidneys function. Your estimated glomerular filtration rate value determines how effectively your kidneys work to clean your blood. These results indicate the amount of blood filtered per minute by the kidneys.

2. Albumin-Creatinine Ratio:

Another crucial test to determine your kidney function is the urine test. You need to urinate into a clean cup called the specimen cup. The urine sample will be sent to a laboratory, where a test called Albumin to creatinine ratio is calculated. This test determines whether you have a type of protein called albumin in your urine.

3. Creatinine Clearance Test:

High creatinine levels in urine can be detected from a urine test called creatinine clearance test. Urine creatinine test usually involves testing the creatinine clearance by collecting a 24-hour urine sample. High creatinine levels indicate that your kidney function is not sufficient to clear creatinine from your blood.

On the other hand, serum creatinine is a blood test to measure creatinine levels in your blood after an overnight fast. For this, your healthcare practitioner draws blood by injecting it into the vein of your forearm.

Creatinine is measured as milligrams of creatinine per decilitre of blood. The normal range for serum creatinine in adult men is 0.74 to 1.35 mg/dL and 0.59 to 1.04 mg/dL for adult women. High creatinine levels mean that your kidneys are not working as well as they should. As the kidney impairment progresses, the level of creatinine in the blood increases.

How To Prepare Yourself For A Serum Creatinine Test?

Your physician will suggest this test as a part of the routine health examination if you have complaints indicating kidney damage or health issues that could lead to kidney impairment in the long run. It is recommended that you fast overnight and avoid cooked meat the day before drawing the blood sample.

If you are going to give a 24-hour urine sample, You need to collect the urine over 24 hours in a plastic jug and bring it for testing.

Early Detection & Treatment Of Kidney Impairment

It is always safe to visit your physician for a routine health check-up if you experience any of the above mentioned symptoms. Kidney function tests play an essential part in detecting kidney problems much earlier. Early detection of kidney damage helps the treatment be more effective, leading to better health outcomes.