From DNA to bloodstreams and the atoms existing inside us, there’s no doubt that the human body is an incredible, scientific marvel. As a matter of fact, human bodies are one of the most complex productions in the world. All our internal organs and tissues work closely together toward a universal purpose—one that keeps us going as living beings.
Nevertheless, the human body is not a perfect machine. From time to time, an organ, system, or cycle process may begin to function abnormally or problematically. Sometimes, you can tell that something isn’t right, but other times, there's a need for testing. Test results tell physicians if an internal organ is functioning properly or speaks to possible adverse health risks. These kinds of results are especially crucial for the kidneys.
The kidneys are a pair of critical bean-shaped organs that filter blood and remove wastes and extra fluid from the human body. Human kidneys are vital in many bodily processes, including that of creatinine removal. The bloodstream carries creatinine to the kidneys, where it’s filtered out of the blood and processed out of the body via urine. As a harmful product, the elimination of creatinine from the body is highly necessary for one’s health. Let’s examine closer everything you need to know about creatinine and its concentration levels.
Creatinine Classification
Creatinine—not to be confused with the related creatine—is a chemical waste product formed by the normal breakdown of muscle tissue compounds known as creatine, which comes from creatine phosphate. Creatine phosphate comprises different types of amino acids that provide a consistent source of energy to the muscles.
Ergo, creatinine is the end product of the process in one’s bloodstream that comes directly from skeletal muscle activity and exercise or, sometimes, protein in one’s diet. Since everyone has creatinine in their bloodstreams, this normal wear and tear is ordinarily nothing to worry about.
Bodies with healthy kidneys excrete this product out of the blood via urine. Physicians test that urine to see whether one’s kidneys are functioning properly or if there is an issue at hand. Higher creatinine levels are not harmful by themselves but do indicate other health conditions taking place in the body. This measurement marker is known as creatinine clearance.
The Importance of Creatinine Clearance
The concentration of creatinine is critically important in the diagnosis of a variety of kidney-related disorders. Impaired kidney function will cause a clear alteration of the concentration level amounts that deviate from the normal value. Standard blood tests generally check for the amount of creatinine in an individual’s blood. Basically, the amount of creatinine in urine goes down as the amount in the blood goes up. The higher the number, the less efficiently the kidney works.
When the kidney fails to eliminate the normal amounts of creatinine, the high centration levels can cause possible kidney disease or kidney failure. Creatine clearance is critical for this reason. As a test, creatinine clearance can more precisely calculate how much blood is cleared by the kidneys. As a marker, this test estimates a rate of filtration called the glomerular filtration rate (GFR).
Clinical labs compare a sample of blood and a sample of urine in order to provide measured results about kidney blood filtration. Creatinine results should always be interpreted by healthcare providers in context with a person’s past medical history. Results outside the typical range can warrant further investigation or testing if levels are high enough or symptoms persist.
Normal vs. High Blood Creatinine Levels
Out of everything you need to know about creatinine, you should know that the amount of creatinine formed in the body relates to a combination of factors. Laboratory technicians and healthcare providers determine normal creatinine levels by muscle mass, physique, age, ethnicity, and gender.
Standard reference ranges can vary from lab to lab. That said, there are clear excretion level differences between men, women, and children. Younger or middle-aged muscular adults tend to have more creatinine than the average population. Conversely, elderly adults and people with malnutrition or chronic illnesses typically have less creatine in their blood than the general norm.
An average normal range for adult men is between 0.6 and 1.2 milligrams (mg) per deciliter (dL), while a normal range for adult women is between 0.5 and 1.1. milligrams per deciliter (dL). Most physicians consider anything over 5.0 mg/dl to be severely high for adults and anything over 2.0 mg/dl to be high for babies.
Symptoms of Abnormal Creatinine
An assortment of symptoms can accompany abnormal creatinine levels depending on the condition that is causing the rise. Common conditions include drug toxicity, kidney infection, kidney dysfunction, diabetes, glomerulonephritis, urinary tract blockage, and heart disease. Abnormal test results also could be due to hard exercise, pregnancy, or side effects of certain pharmaceuticals.
Generally speaking, common symptoms of high creatinine include urine that is bloody or coffee-colored, a decrease in the typical amount of urine, problems or pain when urinating, and changes in the frequency of urine. High-blood pressure, nausea, swelling or puffiness in the face or around the body, fatigue, trouble sleeping, a poor appetite, or mid-back or side pain may also be symptoms.
Creatinine Analyses for Drug Screening
Outside of regular testing for kidney functioning, creatinine has found another use. The accuracy of a drug screening test depends highly on the validity of the collected urine specimen. Each specimen needs to be free from any form of adulteration or substitution for a precise, reported outcome.
Many modern facilities and laboratories utilize advanced screening measures and procedures to verify the validity of a sample. In recent years, the chemical creatinine has come into play as a means for revealing cases of adulteration in drug screening samples. Analyzing certain urinary characteristics, such as creatinine levels, is the best way to check for dilution. Readings of below-normal creatinine levels indicate that a testing participant attempted to tamper with the results and cheat the urine test.
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