What Do Creatinine Levels Mean
Patients with kidney disease often hear doctor talking about their creatinine level, which is a common standard in judging their kidney function condition. While some patients may have this curiosity: what do creatinine levels mean?
What is the normal creatinine level?
Creatinine is the product of muscle metabolism, and it is a toxin to our body health. In fact, creatinine is produced continuously, and almost all the creatinine produced by our muscles can be excreted out in the same day. By this way, our blood creatinine level can change in a stable range.
While the normal creatinine level in man is 0.6~1.2mg/dL (60~110umol/L), and the normal creatinine level in woman is 0.5~1.1mg/dL (45~90umol/L).
Why high creatinine patients always have severe kidney damage?
Patients often find they already have sever kidney damage when they have high creatinine level in their blood test. That is because our kidneys have strong compensation, while our kidneys can complete their work as long as more than half kidney function is normal. It is to say, patients may already have renal insufficiency even their creatinine level is normal in the blood test.
Why patients have no obvious symptom when their creatinine level is a little high?
Creatinine in blood can reflect the condition of patients’ kidney damage. While it is not a very sensitive standard, because it will not be obviously high until less than one third of kidney function is left. Patients will also not have obvious symptoms until more than two thirds of their kidney function is damaged. Thereby, it is very wrong for patients to think their kidney condition is not severe when their creatinine level is a little high.
At what creatine level is dialysis needed?
Creatinine is a toxin to our body, while it can also reflect how severe the waste accumulation in patients’ body is. In china, most patients can consider to take dialysis when their creatinine level reaches 500umol/L. While this also depends on patients’ self condition, and some patients will not take dialysis until their creatinine level is more than 1000umol/L.
These above are some tips about the meaning of creatinine level, while if you have any other question, you can also consult our online experts, and we are willing to help you.
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