Creatinine is a substance secreted in every body and participating 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 predominate in 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 quite slowly.
Blood creatinine
The average norm of creatinine in the blood in women is 43-81 micromol / l. The limits of creatinine in men: 63-107 micromol / l; in infants 0-12 months, 46-104 micromol / l; in children from one year to 15 years - 24-62 ฮผmol / l.
Elevated creatinine can be found in people who eat a lot of animal fats and proteins. If this is the case, then urine and blood creatinine will be increased simultaneously.
Creatinine can increase with a sharp increase in physical activity, serious muscle injuries, dehydration, renal failure, radiation sickness, as well as with intoxication of the body with antibiotics, barbiturates and other drugs with toxic effects.
Reduced creatinine can be in the first two trimesters of pregnancy, with severe starvation with severe loss of body weight, eating exclusively plant-based products, muscle dystrophy, during treatment with some drugs.
Creatinine with urine is excreted 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 grow rapidly.
Urinary creatinine
Norm: men - 8.7-17.6 mmol; women: 7.2-15.8 mmol.
With urine, all creatinine should be excreted, about two grams in 24 hours. The norm of creatinine in the blood of women and men is a more accurate indicator compared to the norms of its content in the urine.
When do you need to be tested for creatinine?
- people undergoing examination due to suspicion of nephrological diagnoses or having kidney problems are sent for analysis;
- when examining a person for kidney donation;
- in the treatment of drugs that have a toxic effect on the kidneys.
Creatinine Level Analysis
The norm of creatinine in the blood of women and men is determined using the Reberg 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 consists in refusing protein foods 10 hours before blood donation.
The examination begins with the fact that the patient drinks half a liter of water and accurately detects the time of urination. After that, after half an hour, blood from a vein is collected, and after another 30 minutes, a urinalysis is collected. In order for the result to be most reliable, personal data are also taken into account: age, height, weight, lifestyle of the patient.
If creatinine level is increased, then first of all you need to visit a nephrologist.