Creatinine is a simple blood marker that helps check how well your kidneys filter waste.
Creatinine is a waste product made when your muscles use energy. Your kidneys filter it out of the blood and pass it into urine at a fairly steady rate.
Because healthy kidneys keep blood creatinine low and stable, the level is a simple, reliable window into how well your kidneys are filtering.
A high creatinine usually means the kidneys are not filtering as well as they should, which can be due to kidney disease, dehydration, or certain medicines. It is the main input for estimating your filtration rate (eGFR).
A low creatinine is rarely a problem and often just reflects lower muscle mass. Because muscle drives the result, it is read with body size and sex in mind.
Aniva reads your result against research-backed ranges, not just the lab's wide normal. The reference shown below is specific to this biomarker.
| Group | Serum creatinine (SI) |
| Men | ~62 to 106 µmol/L |
| Women | ~44 to 80 µmol/L |
Ranges are guidance only and depend on muscle mass, sex, and assay (enzymatic methods are preferred). Creatinine is best interpreted through the calculated eGFR. Read against your own lab's interval, in line with DGKL practice.
A large meat meal, intense exercise, dehydration, and high muscle mass can raise creatinine, while low muscle mass lowers it. Some drugs (such as trimethoprim and cimetidine) raise it without a real change in kidney function. The older Jaffe method can be affected by certain substances.
Read with the calculated eGFR, and alongside urea, cystatin C, and a urine albumin test when kidney function is the focus.
What does a creatinine result mean? Higher levels often mean kidneys are filtering less well; lower levels usually reflect less muscle. Always interpret with eGFR and urine tests.
Do I need to fast for this test? No. Hydrate normally and try to avoid a large meat meal or intense exercise the day before.
What can affect my result? Meat meals, creatine supplements, dehydration, hard workouts, pregnancy, infections, and some medicines can change levels.
How often should I test? People with diabetes, high blood pressure, or kidney risk are often checked at least yearly, or more often if changes are seen.
How long do results take? Results are usually ready in about 7 days.
What should I discuss with my clinician? Ask about your eGFR, urine albumin (ACR), trends over time, medicine effects on kidneys, and when to recheck.
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