Analysis for creatinine - what is it, testimony and transcript
Laboratory tests are the easiest way to monitor your health, detect somatic pathology in a timely manner and restore your well-being. But in order to more consciously approach the survey questions, it is important to understand what the indicators mean on the scoresheet.
In particular, it is useful for everyone who cares about their own health to know what it is - a blood test for creatinine, in which cases it should be taken, which can be indicated by deviations from the norm.
Creatinine - what is it?
Creatinine is a substance that is produced in the blood by the liver when the protein is cleaved. Thus, it is the final product of the breakdown of proteins entering the body with food.
To find the answer to the question what it means - a blood test for creatinine, it is important to understand what has a direct effect on its amount in the blood. The amount of creatinine is regulated by the kidneys, which remove an excess amount of the substance together with the urine, ensuring the maintenance of homeostasis in the body. In the event that the kidneys for various reasons can not cope with the work, the concentration of creatinine begins to grow, and the person's health - worsen.
Creatinine norm
The normal creatinine score depends on many factors: age, sex, nutrition and even muscle mass. In men, as a rule, creatinine is on average higher than in women, as in people who regularly receive significant physical exertion or use protein foods in large quantities.
There are medical norms that determine pathology or its absence in the body. Under normal functioning of the body, the analysis for creatinine shows the following values:
- Children under 1 year of age: 18-35 μmol / l.
- Children under 14 years: 27-62 μmol / l.
- Women over 14 years of age: 53-97 μmol / l.
- Males over 14 years of age: 62-115 μmol / l.
These values may vary slightly depending on the laboratory that is conducting the study. But as a rule, these indicators are universal for most biochemical tests.
Creatinine increased
In a situation where the creatinine test shows values that differ from normal values, it can not always be assumed that pathology exists. Sometimes an increase in the concentration of creatinine in the blood is a natural reaction of the body to this or that external stimulus. As soon as the effect of the provoking factor ceases, the indicator level automatically stabilizes.
Such factors include:
- dehydration;
- an abundance of protein foods in the diet;
- muscle damage.
How to understand if the cause of increasing the level of creatinine is pathology or not? As a rule, a doctor can not say about the presence of a certain pathology by one analysis. Creatinine is re-submitted, and in the event that the increase in the rate is fixed again, the patient is given a detailed examination to determine the root cause of the disorder.
In pathology, there is a significant deviation in the indicator from the norm, for example, 2-3 times.
Creatinine Downgraded
Considering the reasons for the change in creatinine levels that are not signs of pathology, it is worthwhile also to consider situations in which a creatinine test shows reduced rates that are not signs of the disease.
The main reason for the reduced rate is malnutrition. First of all, we are talking about starvation, for example, as part of a reduction in body weight. In this case, the body lacks the necessary amount of protein, hence, the production of creatinine by the liver is also reduced.
A similar situation occurs if a person observes a vegetarian or vegan diet, that is, refuses meat dishes in favor of plant foods. Thus, having found a reduced level of creatinine among the results of the blood test, the doctor will necessarily find out the diet of his nutrition in the patient. In the event that the patient menu may be the reason for the deviation of the indicator, he will be recommended to consume more protein food and return the analysis again after a while.
An assay for creatinine may show a reduced amount of a substance in the blood during the first two trimesters of pregnancy, and also when taking hormones of corticosteroids.
Creatinine and pathology
The most common pathology that occurs with elevated creatinine in the blood is a decrease in the filtration capacity of the kidneys. This occurs with kidney failure: acute or chronic.
The danger of chronic renal failure is the difficulty of diagnosing pathology at any stage, except terminal - incurable. Normally, creatinine is excreted in the urine, and a small concentration of the substance remains in the blood. But as the kidneys begin to lose the ability to concentrate and remove urine from the body, the amount of creatinine in the body increases. This leads to intoxication of the body, therefore, when the blood test for urea and creatinine shows high values, a person experiences severe nausea, weakness, headache.
The level of the indicator can vary under the influence of various negative external factors. For example, against the background of radiation sickness, which is a consequence of the effects of ionizing radiation. More rarely in the analysis, increased creatinine due to hyperthyroidism - a disease in which the thyroid gland produces an increased number of hormones.
In each individual case, the physician considers not only the fact of changes in the level of creatinine in the blood, but also other indicators, as well as the symptoms that the patient complains of.
When and who needs to take the test?
The analysis for urea and creatinine is included in the list of mandatory laboratory tests that each person should take for preventive, preventive purposes at least once a year. Also, the reason for the visit to the doctor with the subsequent delivery of blood are symptoms of diseases affecting the concentration of creatinine in the blood:
- nausea;
- weakness;
- tremor;
- muscle pain;
- swelling;
- change in body weight with a normal diet.
The clinical picture allows the doctor to assign a more accurate list of studies that will quickly and accurately diagnose.
How do I change the results of a study?
The norm of the analysis of creatinine in the blood is achieved only when the causes of its change are eliminated. So, increased as a result of chronic renal failure is normalized with the help of glucocorticosteroid therapy, hemodialysis procedures or kidney transplantation.
If the cause of increase or decrease in creatinine is not a pathology, it is enough just to normalize the diet, the amount of fluid consumed and the level of physical activity.
In some cases, when the level of creatinine is significantly different from normal, for example, exceeding it several times and having a direct impact on the patient's well-being, a hemodialysis procedure can be used that restores the composition of the blood by running it through a special apparatus filter.
Understanding what the creatinine analysis means, everyone who is interested in the quality of life's life will certainly realize the importance of regular diagnosis for the detection of pathology at an early and, most likely, curable stage.
Preparing for the
Study A laboratory blood test for creatinine and urea does not require any preliminary preparation. Biochemical analysis is usually given on an empty stomach, with the last meal being taken no later than 8 hours before the time of blood sampling.
In order for the result of the study to be more reliable, it is not recommended the day before to consume large amounts of protein food and sit on a strict diet, as well as engage in grueling physical exertion.
Additional studies of
After a laboratory test showed a change in the level of creatinine, the doctor prescribes an additional study to exclude the risk of an erroneous result. At this stage, he must explain to the patient the rules of taking the analysis, find out his anamnesis and lifestyle.
If the result of the indicator is confirmed during the repeated analysis, it is necessary to conduct an additional study that will show the violation of the work of which organ affects the level of creatinine: kidney, thyroid, pituitary.
For this, the following studies are carried out( see table).
| Laboratory tests | Functional tests |
| Complete analysis of urine | Kidney ultrasound |
| Blood and urine tests for the Reberg | Ultrasound of the thyroid gland |
| Zimnitsky test | CT or MRI of the brain( pituitary) |
| Blood test for hormones TTG, T3, T4 | Radiography of kidneys withcontrast |
| Clinical blood test | Excretory urography |
| Myelogram | Nephrobiopsy and thyroid biopsy |
The therapist identifies probable causes of changes in the biochemical composition of blood, and sweathe directs the patient to a narrow specialist: an endocrinologist, a hematologist or a nephrologist.
Thus, every person who is attentive to his health should know why it is important to regularly give a blood test for creatinine, what it is, what indicators are normal, and what they say about the probable presence of a pathological process.