At What Creatinine Level Does Someone Usually Have to Start Dialysis
At what creatinine level does someone have to start dialysis? Even though high creatinine level isn’t as effective as GFR to reflect kidney working condition, it is indeed one reliable indicator for kidney function. Therefore, serum creatinine level is viewed as one important criteria to determine when to begin dialysis.
How about the answer?
Since kidney failure patients’ illness condition changes from person to person, the answer is complex. Some patients can still live without dialysis even though their creatinine level has been higher than 8.0 mg/dl, while some other patients are recommended to begin kidney dialysis when their creatinine level is only around 5.0 mg/dl.
Why the condition is so different?
The reason is that many other factors, in addition to high creatinine level, also affect the beginning time of dialysis.
The most important one is glomerular filtration rate (GFR). GFR measures how much blood flows through kidneys every minute. This can accurately monitor how well kidneys are functioning. Generally speaking, doctors suggest kidney patients to consider dialysis when their GFR is 15 ml/min or less.
The other one is complication. With the progress of kidney disease, more and more kidney failure complications appear. Some complications such as severe swelling, high blood pressure not responding to medications, high potassium level, metabolic acidosis, and so on, may threaten patients’ life. In this case, they need to take dialysis as soon as possible.
In summary
Generally speaking, high creatinine level can reflect the condition that too many waste products and toxins build up in the blood, so patients are suggested to begin dialysis when their creatinine level rises to 8.0 mg/dl. However, some other factors also affect this time. In view of this, you had better consult your doctor or the doctor online before starting kidney dialysis.
Tag: Dialysis High Creatinine Level
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