What is Creatinine?
Creatinine is a chemical waste product that's produced by your muscles. It's generated from an amino acid, creatine, made by the liver and stored in the liver. Creatine is crucial for energy production in muscles. After getting used up, creatine is converted into creatinine and released into the bloodstream.
The kidneys filter creatinine out of the blood and then expel it from the body through urination. This process helps maintain a normal creatinine level in the body [1, 2, 3, 4].
Uses of Creatinine
One of the primary uses of creatinine is in assessing kidney function. Doctors measure the creatinine level in the blood to check how well your kidneys work. High creatinine levels may indicate that your kidneys are malfunctioning [3].
Creatinine blood tests are usually performed along with several other laboratory tests, including a blood urea nitrogen (BUN) test and a basic metabolic panel (BMP) or comprehensive metabolic panel (CMP). These tests are done during routine physical exams to help diagnose certain diseases and check for kidney function problems [3].
Creatinine has also been studied for its anti-inflammatory activity. It effectively suppresses the inflammatory responses produced by certain substances, suggesting it may have potential therapeutic uses [5].
Creatinine levels can be affected by dietary supplements such as creatine. Therefore, monitoring creatinine levels can be important for athletes and others who use these supplements to enhance performance [6].
What creatinine level needs dialysis?
As we previously discussed, Creatinine levels are a vital indicator of kidney function, and their measurement is crucial in assessing the need for dialysis. However, initiating dialysis is not solely based on creatinine levels. We also need to consider the patient's symptoms and overall health status.
In some cases, patients have required dialysis despite having relatively low steady-state serum creatinine levels of 4.0 and 4.4 mg per cent [1]. In a study of diabetic patients initiating dialysis treatment, 32.5% had serum creatinine levels below 8.0 mg/dl at the start [7].
However, it's important to note that creatinine levels can be influenced by factors such as muscle mass, age, and sex, and they do not always accurately reflect kidney function. Therefore, if clinical evidence of uremia is present while serum creatinine value is relatively low, measurement of glomerular filtration rate (GFR) is essential.
In conclusion, no definitive creatinine level dictates the need for dialysis. The decision to initiate dialysis is a clinical one, based on a combination of factors including but not limited to creatinine levels, symptoms, and overall health status of the patient.