Creatinine is a substance released in every body and involved in energy metabolism. Creatinine is produced in muscle tissue, and then enters the bloodstream. Its content is determined by the volume of muscle mass, therefore, the norm of creatinine in the blood of women is lower than that of men, since female representatives are dominated by fat mass, and not muscle mass.
The amount of creatinine in blood plasma cannot change dramatically due to the fact that muscle mass builds up rather slowly.
Blood creatinine
The average blood creatinine in women is 43-81 µmol/L. Limits of creatinine content in men: 63-107 µmol/l; in infants 0-12 months old - 46-104 µmol / l; in children from one year to 15 years - 24-62 µmol/l.
Elevated creatinine can occur in people who eat a lot of animal fats and proteins. If this is the reason, then urine and blood creatinine will be increased at the same time.
Creatinine can increase with a sharp increase in physical activity, serious muscle injuries, dehydration, kidney failure, radiation sickness, as well as intoxication with antibiotics,barbiturates and other drugs with toxic effects.
Decreased creatinine can be in the first two trimesters of pregnancy, with severe starvation with severe weight loss, eating exclusively plant foods, muscle dystrophy, against the background of treatment with certain drugs.
Creatinine is excreted in the urine by the kidneys. If its content does not meet the standards, kidney disease can be suspected. In acute renal failure and pyelonephritis, creatinine is always elevated and its level continues to rise rapidly.
Urine creatinine
Norm: men - 8, 7-17, 6 mmol; women: 7.2-15.8 mmol.
All creatinine should be excreted in the urine, about two grams per 24 hours. The norm of creatinine in the blood in women and men is a more accurate indicator compared to the norms of its content in the urine.
When should I take a creatinine test?
- people who are being examined due to suspected nephrological diagnoses or having problems with the kidneys are sent for analysis;
- when examining a person for kidney donation;
- when treated with drugs that have a toxic effect on the kidneys.
Analysis for the level of creatinine
The norm of creatinine in the blood in women and men is determined using the Rehberg test, it also allows you to determine its level in the urine. Before taking these tests, you need to stop taking medications such as cortisol, thyroxine, corticotropin. Preparation for analysis isin the refusal of protein foods 10 hours before blood donation.
The examination begins with the patient drinking half a liter of water and accurately timing urination. After that, after half an hour, blood is collected from a vein, after another 30 minutes, a urine test is collected. To make the result most reliable, personal data is also taken into account: age, height, weight, lifestyle of the patient.
If the level of creatinine is elevated, then first of all you need to visit a nephrologist.
