What are the Creatinine Lab Values?

Creatinine Lab Values – Overview

A creatinine test is a blood test to check the functionality of the kidneys. A healthcare provider prescribes this test to determine the value of creatinine in the blood. Sometimes, creatinine is measured by a urine test.

However, in most cases, it is checked by a blood test only. Creatinine lab values will give you the best information about the normal lab values of creatinine, how the test is performed, and everything related to it.

What is Creatinine

Creatinine is a waste product produced through muscle breakdown. Your doctor would prescribe this test to check how well your kidneys work!

Human kidneys have millions of blood-filtering units. The blood filtering units are called nephrons in medical terms.

Nephrons have to filter blood throughout the day. Nephrons have a small cluster that filters waste products produced from the organs.

Filtered waste products and excess fluids are collected in the bladder as urine before being excreted. Waste products and toxins leave the body through urination.

Creatinine is a waste product eliminated by the kidneys through urine, not mixed with blood. A high blood level of creatinine indicates that your kidneys may not be working properly.

Usually, creatinine tests are prescribed along with a few other blood and urine tests, depending on the patient’s condition. Your doctor may prescribe a combination of blood tests to determine the disease or the recovery.

Why do I need a Creatinine Test?

Creatinine Lab Values – Why do I need a Creatinine Test

There are some signs that your body shows up when you have kidney disease. Your doctor would check for the symptoms and then prescribe a creatinine test to further diagnose the disease.

Your doctor would prescribe you this test if you are having these symptoms:

• Trouble sleeping
• Fatigue
• Swelling in the body parts
• Urine output disturbed
• Nausea
• Vomiting
• Lower back pain
• Loss of appetite

How to Prepare for the Creatinine Test

While no special preparation is required for a creatinine blood test, patients may be advised to avoid strenuous exercise or eating large amounts of meat on the day before testing, as these can affect the results.

Unlike diabetes tests, you need not follow fasting, you can eat and drink whatever you want just like a normal day while taking the creatinine test. When you follow a regular diet, it will give you the perfect results.

Before you go for the test, you need to discuss any medications you take. Some drugs may alter the value of creatinine in blood, so you should tell your doctor about the medicines you regularly take.

Discuss any medications you’re taking with your healthcare provider, as they may advise adjustments before the test, but do not stop any medication without your provider’s approval.

How Does the Test Will Feel

A small sample of blood is removed from your body using a regular needle to perform the creatinine test. A healthcare provider will guide you throughout the procedure, doing his job perfectly.

The first thing you would be asked to do is pull up your sleeves so that the blood vessels can be exposed. After that, he will tie a band around the arm area to stop the blood flow so that the blood vessels can be seen easily.

The area will be sterilized using an antiseptic before he inserts the needle into the veins. Collecting the blood sample from your vein will take a few seconds.

Once done, the band will be removed, and a bandage will be applied to stop the blood flow.

While generally safe, drawing blood for a creatinine test carries minor risks, such as slight pain or bruising at the puncture site or, rarely, lightheadedness. However, in some cases, a patient might face.

• Dizziness
• Fainting
• Pain
• Infection
• Bruising
• Soreness around the punctured area

Once your blood sample is collected, a lab technician will send it to the laboratory for further analysis. Test result turnaround times can vary; some may be available within a few hours, while others may take a day or more, depending on the laboratory.

What are the Normal Creatinine Lab Values?

The creatinine levels in men and women are different. In general, women have lower levels of creatinine than men.

Since creatinine waste product comes from muscle breakdown, the creatinine level is lower in women because they don’t have muscle mass like men. Let’s find out the normal creatinine lab values:

The above-listed values of creatinine are the common measurements of creatinine. The normal lab values may vary slightly from laboratory to laboratory as they use different testing methods.

However, these are the normal creatinine lab values that most laboratories worldwide follow.

How do You Define Abnormal Creatinine Results?

In some cases, the creatinine level in the test results can be considered abnormal. If the test results show a higher value of creatinine than the normal values, then it might due to:

• Kidney failure or damaged kidney
• Reduced blood flow
• Kidney infection
• Muscle-related problems
• Blockage in the urinary tract

If the test results show a lower creatinine value than the normal value, then it might be due to:

• Abnormal conditions of muscles and mass
• Dietary problems

Besides this, the test result of the creatinine level in the blood could be affected due to diabetes, high blood pressure, an overdose of certain medicines, etc.

Your healthcare provider will give you the right information about the abnormal values of creatinine.

What’s next?

Once you have your creatinine test done and the results are out, you need to visit your healthcare provider’s clinic.

Since you already know the normal creatinine lab values, you can also check the test results for yourself.

If the lab values in the test results are abnormal, discuss them with your healthcare provider.

Your healthcare provider will guide you further, and if required, they will prescribe you a few more lab tests to further diagnose the problem or the disease.

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