Normal in blood
An analysis for creatinine levels must be taken in the morning, on an empty stomach, otherwise the indicator data will be uninformative (during the day a person experiences a certain physical activity and consumes animal proteins).
Creatinine levels differ for women, men and children, depending on the amount of muscle mass:*
- infants up to one year: 18-35 µmol/l;
- children 1-14 years old: 27-62 µmol/l;
- women: 53-97 µmol/l;
- men: 80-115 µmol/l.
*according to independent laboratory Invitro
What to do if your child’s creatinine level changes
To return creatinine in children to normal limits, it is necessary to determine the root cause of changes in indicators: poor nutrition, low or overweight, exhaustion, chronic diseases, shock, lack of protein in the body, blockage of the urinary tract, etc. If creatinine in children has changed not due to For serious illnesses, you need to reconsider your diet. When nitrogen compounds in the blood increase, it is recommended to increase the amount of fresh fruits and vegetables. For boys and girls with low body weight, parents should encourage weight lifting. Along with it, creatinine in children rises to normal levels.
When to see a doctor
Changed creatinine in the blood of children indicates pathological conditions of the body. Pediatricians of JSC "Medicine" (clinic of academician Roitberg) in the Central Administrative District are ready to help if the following symptoms appear: constant fatigue and fatigue, shallow difficulty breathing, disturbances of consciousness, pain in the heart, failure of the intestines. You need to sign up for an examination after being injured or in a state of shock. If creatinine is low in a child’s blood, no significant symptoms appear. If necessary, the pediatrician will refer you to specialists to prescribe treatment. An increase to 200 µmol/l poses a danger to health and life. In this case, you need to urgently undergo dialysis. This development of the situation is possible with kidney failure.
Diagnostics of blood parameters
Biochemical analysis is the main diagnostic method that shows creatinine in the blood and whether the norm in children is maintained or not. Laboratory tests check creatinine to nitrogen ratios and creatinine clearance. For the second analysis, an additional 24-hour urine sample is taken. For creatinine, the norm in children can vary +/- 15%. This is not an indicator of pathology. We can talk about its presence when there are sharp jumps in indicators to high numbers. 48 hours before the analysis, it is not recommended to consume meat and protein products in order to avoid correlation of analysis parameters. If your child plays sports, eliminate physical activity one day before.
Reasons for increased creatinine
Physiological reasons
An increase in creatinine in the blood may be due to physiological reasons. Thus, increased creatinine is often observed in athletes, especially those who engage in powerlifting and bodybuilding (significant muscle mass).
Also, a high level is observed in people whose diet is dominated by protein foods of animal origin (meat, fish, chicken).
A separate column includes people who were forced to take certain medications (tetracycline antibiotics, cephalosporins, non-steroidal anti-inflammatory drugs: ibuprofen, diclofenac, indomethacin and others).
Pathological reasons:
- acute and chronic renal failure (kidneys cannot cope with excretory function);
- an overactive thyroid gland (thyrotoxicosis, in which the body's muscles begin to break down under the influence of excess thyroid hormones);
- cardiovascular pathology (blood circulation in the body is impaired, including in the kidneys);
- radiation sickness;
- cancerous tumors;
- dehydration of the body (dehydration);
- muscle damage (long-term compression syndrome - Crash syndrome, muscle injuries and ruptures, surgical interventions);
- major burns;
- endocrine pathology (acromegaly, gigantism);
- an increase in the blood content of a number of metabolic products (glucose, fructose, urea).
Reasons for decreased creatinine
It is important to understand that a decrease in the level of creatinine in the blood, unlike its increase, is not associated with the functioning of the kidneys and excretory system. Low results indicate disruption of metabolic processes in muscle tissue, protein metabolism, and exhaustion of the body.
So, the reasons for low creatinine are:
- Severe exhaustion of the body;
- Oncological diseases in the last stage;
- Significant decrease in muscle mass due to illness, long-term fasting or muscle dystrophy;
- Extreme degree of dehydration;
- Cirrhosis of the liver;
- Muscle atrophy in older people;
- Exacerbation of inflammatory processes
Quite often, a lack of creatinine occurs in vegetarians, since their food lacks protein, which, of course, affects the test result. Also, a decrease in the level of this substance occurs during difficult pregnancy, accompanied by severe toxicosis, especially in the first and second trimesters. The use of some hormonal drugs also leads to a downward deviation of the indicator.
Among the symptoms that tell a person that creatinine levels are low for physiological reasons are: dizziness, weakness, daytime sleepiness, increased thirst, and a feeling of constant fatigue. Such patients experience increased fatigue and muscle weakness.
It may be that the level of creatinine is slightly decreased or increased, and in this case the reason lies not in pathology, but in some physiological characteristics of the body. The doctor pays attention only to significant deviations from the norm and the presence of symptoms, supported by the results of the examination. In any case, there is no need to draw independent conclusions - diagnoses should be made by a doctor.
Treatment and return to normal
Before starting to adjust creatinine levels, a complete examination of the patient is carried out, and the reasons why the indicators diverge from the norm are established. Depending on the general condition of the patient, his age, gender, and the presence of chronic diseases, therapeutic measures are prescribed.
Therapy for low creatinine
Of course, if the decrease in creatinine was caused by a serious pathology, it is necessary to treat this particular disease. If the reasons are physiological, muscle mass must be built up in order for the level of this substance to reach normal values. The main assistant in this is a protein diet. You need to include meat, seafood, fish, milk, eggs, rice, nuts, and pasta in your daily diet. Of course, you need to coordinate such a diet with a gastroenterologist if the patient has diseases associated with the digestive system, such as gastritis, pancreatitis. Such a patient requires healthy sleep for at least seven hours.
It happens that in order to accelerate the increase in creatinine, the doctor may prescribe special minerals and vitamins, against the background of constant regular blood tests for this substance, which allows one to evaluate the effectiveness of such therapy.
Detailed information on the website TsMD-online.ru
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Creatinine test
The concentration of the metabolite may increase when a reaction to an external stimulus occurs, but returns to normal after eliminating the provoking factors, these include:
- dehydration of the body;
- muscle injuries and strains;
- excessive consumption of protein foods;
- taking certain medications.
Based on the results of one test, the doctor cannot determine the presence of the disease. If the indicator increases, the material is taken again. If the concentration of the substance again deviates from the norm towards an increase, a comprehensive examination is prescribed. High creatinine is observed in renal failure, with an excess of thyroid hormones in the body.
The level of the nitrogen-containing metabolite decreases with weight loss due to poor diet or fasting. If a person excludes meat from the diet and consumes vegetable dishes and fruits, the body experiences a protein deficiency, and the liver synthesizes creatinine in a smaller volume. The value of the indicator decreases during pregnancy, after taking hormonal drugs.
Exceeding the concentration of nitrogen-containing acid several times often indicates renal failure. Due to a violation of the filtration capacity of the organ, urine excretion becomes difficult, intoxication develops, accompanied by nausea, dizziness, and weakness.
To confirm the pathology, in addition to the creatinine level, ESR and other blood parameters are determined during laboratory testing.
When are tests taken?
If a person complains of muscle pain, severe weakness, nausea, and swelling of the limbs, the doctor, after collecting an anamnesis and examination, suggests donating blood for a biochemical study.
Before the procedure, which does not require special preparation, it is necessary to avoid protein foods and avoid heavy physical activity. If a repeat analysis, which is prescribed for an increased creatinine concentration, confirms the value of the indicator, an instrumental examination is performed, which includes ultrasound of the thyroid gland and kidneys, computed tomography and magnetic resonance imaging. Blood is taken from the patient for clinical analysis, and, if necessary, material for biopsy.
You can always undergo an examination, take a biochemical blood test and other tests at our medical center. Analyze collection is carried out only with disposable materials, without registration and queues.
How to increase creatinine levels?
Exercising to increase muscle mass and increasing creatine intake in the diet can help people, especially those on a vegetarian diet.
For people who perform high-intensity exercise, creatine as a dietary supplement is considered safe.
Low creatinine levels may indicate underlying health problems such as liver disease. Most often, low creatinine levels are a normal part of aging or a temporary problem that can be resolved by changes in diet.
What does a low creatinine level mean?
Low creatinine levels may indicate a problem with the muscles or liver, but can be caused by something less serious, such as loss of muscle mass in older people, or pregnancy.
Creatinine is always present in the bloodstream, from where it is removed by the kidneys and excreted from the body in urine. Research shows that creatinine helps fight disease and stops the growth of bacteria. A laboratory test used by doctors shows how well the kidneys remove creatinine from the body.
There are four main causes of low creatinine:
- low muscle mass;
- liver diseases;
- diet;
- pregnancy.
Low muscle mass
Creatinine levels are often related to muscle mass, which can decrease with age or illness. A low level may indicate that muscle mass is reduced, such as in muscular dystrophy. Older people often lose muscle mass as they age, and this is not usually a serious medical problem.
Liver problems
Creatine is produced by the liver, and an unhealthy liver will not be able to produce normal amounts of creatine. Chronic liver disease can cause a 50% reduction in creatine production. This means there will be a low level of creatinine in the blood, which can be checked by a blood test.
Diet
Although creatine is produced naturally, small amounts come from food, so diet may influence low creatinine levels. Creatine is primarily found in meat, so people who follow a vegetarian or low-protein diet tend to have low creatinine levels.
Pregnancy
Pregnancy often causes low creatinine levels, which will return to normal after childbirth.
How to make an appointment with a pediatrician
Examination of children, collection of anamnesis and prescription of tests is performed by the pediatrician of JSC "Medicine" (clinic of academician Roitberg). You can figure out why your child’s creatinine is low or high, and you can examine the current state of health at an appointment by making an appointment by phone: +7 (495) 995-00-33. The clinic is located at the address: Moscow, 2nd Tverskoy-Yamskaya lane, building 10. This is the center of Moscow, so there are many metro stations nearby: Mayakovskaya, Chekhovskaya, Tverskaya, Belorusskaya, Novoslobodskaya. If you wish, you can make an appointment on the website of JSC “Medicine” by filling out the “Make an appointment with a doctor” form. You must provide your contact phone number and name. After this, a call will be received from the clinic to coordinate the date and time of the appointment.
Ways to increase creatinine levels
At the first stage, a person is recommended to choose a special diet that will contain a high amount of muscle fibers. Consumption of meat, fish and other seafood is increasing. There is no complete alternative to the diet, so vegetarians should add at least fish dishes to the menu to maintain health.
In general, building muscle mass leads to a natural increase in the indicator to normal values. This is facilitated by:
- rational nutrition and physical activity;
- drinking water at least 2 liters per day;
- vitamins and mineral complexes, if necessary, to restore the lack of these substances.
Energy reserves are replenished by regulating sleep patterns. Prolonged lack of rest, exhaustion and fatigue contribute to the development of chronic depression and decreased performance. Against this background, the biochemical composition of the blood also changes. You should plan the amount of work for each day in such a way that you have at least 6 to 7 hours of sleep left.
Separately, we should highlight the situation when the concentration of creatinine falls against the background of diseases. In this case, an extended differential diagnosis is carried out, a final diagnosis is established and treatment is selected.
