But sometimes, routine blood or urine tests can reveal low or high levels of creatinine. Normal levels vary according to your body size and muscle mass. For example, a normal range for men is between 0.
The symptoms that go with low creatinine levels depend on the underlying condition. Low creatinine levels can be caused by:. Since the breakdown of muscle tissue produces creatinine, low levels of this chemical waste often occur in people with low muscle mass.
A reduction in muscle mass is common in older individuals, as most people lose muscle mass as they age. Low muscle mass can also result from malnutrition , or from eating a low-meat or low-protein diet. The causes of low creatinine differ from the causes of high creatinine. Creatinine levels also play a role in assessing kidney function. When creatinine begins to accumulate in the body, doctors have to run tests to check for kidney problems.
Your doctor can use multiple tests to check your creatinine level. One option is a serum creatinine test , which measures the amount of creatinine in your bloodstream. Another option is a creatinine urine test. If your lab results confirm a low creatinine level, your doctor may suggest more testing to rule out a muscular disease.
This may include a muscle biopsy or a muscle enzyme test to check for muscle damage. Treatment options for low creatinine depend on the underlying cause. If you have a muscular disease, treatment focuses on treating the related condition and reducing muscle pain, weakness, and degeneration.
Options include corticosteroids to improve your muscle strength or therapy to improve your quality of life. But your doctor may recommend steps to increase your muscle mass and normalize your creatinine level. Increasing your level of physical activity and doing strength training exercises a few days a week can increase muscle mass. Talk to your doctor before starting a new exercise program. Diabetes can cause injury in the blood vessels of the kidneys which in turn reduces the ability of the kidneys to filter the blood from waste products including creatinine [ 12 ].
Studies have found that a protein-rich diet elevates the levels of blood creatinine both in healthy and individuals suffering from kidney failure [ 13 , 14 ]. Also, eating cooked meat just before the test can cause a spike in creatinine levels. This happens because cooking converts the creatine present in meat which is muscle into creatinine [ 15 , 16 ].
Exercise can increase creatinine short-term, due to muscle damage, or long-term, due to an increase in muscle mass [ 15 , 17 ]. Studies in healthy individuals show a direct correlation between muscle mass and the levels of blood creatinine. This correlation is significant for both adult men and women [ 17 ]. Supplementing with creatine increases creatinine levels in the blood [ 18 , 15 ]. Hypothyroidism decreases kidney function and blood flow to the kidneys, which results in elevated creatinine levels [ 19 ].
Levels can normalize rapidly with thyroid hormone replacement after short periods of hypothyroidism, but may normalize slower after more prolonged periods of severe hypothyroidism [ 20 ]. A blocked urinary tract can cause kidney injury, which increases creatinine in the blood [ 21 , 22 ]. There is a bidirectional relationship between kidney disease and heart disease, where each condition increases the risk of the other.
In heart failure, blood flow to the kidneys is reduced, which decreases creatinine filtration and increases creatinine levels in the blood [ 23 , 24 ]. Please discuss your medications with your healthcare provider. They will assess your test results taking into account your medications and other relevant factors to determine whether a result outside of the reference range means something for you. Contact your doctor or pharmacist if you notice medication side effects such as tiredness , dry or itchy skin, blood in your urine, or anything else out of the ordinary.
Call your doctor for medical advice about side effects. In Canada, you may report side effects to Health Canada at With this in mind, the following medications may increase creatinine levels in some people:. If you have kidney disease, your doctor may prescribe medication to manage your symptoms.
Some drugs used in kidney disease patients include water pills diuretics , medications for lowering high blood pressure, erythropoietin , and others. Dialysis is a common treatment for people with kidney disease. If you have kidney issues, you may need to limit your protein intake. Similarly, if your kidneys are not working properly, your blood phosphorus and potassium may increase, in which case you may need to limit their intake.
Discuss an appropriate diet to protect your kidney health with your doctor [ 35 , 36 ]. Discuss the additional strategies listed below with your doctor. None of these should ever be done in place of what your doctor recommends or prescribes! High blood creatinine can be a result of dehydration. A study of overweight or obese men suggests that weight loss can improve kidney health and decrease creatinine levels [ 41 ].
A fiber-rich diet improves kidney health and can lower blood creatinine levels [ 42 ]. Low blood creatinine levels are not always a concern. They can just indicate a diet low in protein [ 43 ]. Your doctor will interpret your results, taking into account your medical history, symptoms, and other test results.
Causes listed below are commonly associated with low blood creatinine. Malnutrition, and specifically lack of protein, decrease muscle mass, which decreases blood creatinine levels [ 44 ]. This occurs, in part, because the kidneys more efficiently clear creatinine and other waste products from the blood during pregnancy. Advanced liver disease is another possible cause of low creatinine. The liver is a primary site for protein manufacture and breakdown in the body. If the liver is not functioning well, proteins are not made or broken down efficiently, potentially causing a low creatinine level.
Severe, excess water intake is an uncommon cause of low blood creatinine, because the water dilutes the concentration of all substances in the bloodstream. Some medications may interfere with certain methods used to measure blood creatinine, potentially causing an erroneously low reading.
A low creatinine level alone does not necessarily mean that there is an underlying health problem. There are a number of reasons a creatinine level may be lower -- or higher -- than the normal range noted by the testing laboratory.
The doctor will look at many factors in deciding whether there is cause for concern. Important considerations include medications being taken, a person's diet, any ongoing illnesses and whether a women is pregnant.
Additional laboratory testing or other examinations may be needed to determine whether a low creatinine level represents a health concern. Health Kidney Conditions Kidney Disease. What Causes Low Creatinine Levels?
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