Creatinine is a byproduct of muscle metabolism. It's filtered by the kidneys and excreted in urine. Creatinine levels can be used to measure how well your kidneys are working. Doctors use creatinine tests as part of a complete physical exam to assess kidney function, diagnose disease and determine if there have been changes in kidney health over time.
Creatinine is a protein that's produced by muscle cells. It's found in meat, fish and eggs, as well as other foods like kidney beans.
You may have heard that eating more protein can help you lose weight--and this is true! But if you're eating more than your body needs for growth or repair (which is what happens when we exercise), extra protein will be broken down into creatinine. Your kidneys filter out extra creatinine through urine production; however, if they become damaged or diseased--or if they don't work as well due to age--they may not be able to keep up with their duties of removing excess creatinine from the body before it builds up and causes harm.
The kidneys are responsible for removing creatinine from the blood and excreting it in urine. Creatinine is a waste product that's produced when muscle cells break down creatine, which is an amino acid that helps with energy production.
As a result, people with healthy kidneys will have higher levels of creatinine in their blood than those who have impaired kidney function or who have been given drugs that inhibit creatinine production by the liver (such as metformin).
When kidneys begin to fail, they can't filter creatinine properly, so levels of the protein go up in the blood. Creatinine testing is used to monitor kidney function and assess how well they're working.
A doctor will typically order a creatinine test if you have one of these symptoms:
Creatinine tests are a routine part of most blood tests. A creatinine test measures the amount of a substance called creatinine in your blood. Creatinine is produced by muscle cells and released into the bloodstream, where it travels to the kidneys and then passes out of your body through urine.
Creatinine levels may be abnormal if you have kidney disease or if your kidneys aren't filtering properly, which can lead to high levels in your body (hypercreatinemia). This can cause symptoms such as diarrhea, nausea and vomiting due to excess fluid buildup around tissues throughout the body.
Doctors use creatinine tests to assess kidney function and determine if a patient has kidney disease; they also use this information when monitoring how well treatment works after someone has been diagnosed with chronic renal failure
Creatinine is a protein that's produced by muscle cells. It's filtered by the kidneys and excreted in urine, so it's often used as an indirect measure of kidney function. When the kidneys begin to fail, they can't filter creatinine properly, so levels of the protein go up in the blood (creatinine clearance). This test measures how much creatinine is being removed from your body on a daily basis--it shows whether or not you're losing too much fluid or retaining too much fluid because of poor kidney function.
We hope we've given you a better understanding of how creatinine tests are used to measure kidney function and determine if someone has kidney disease. These tests can be done in a doctor's office or hospital, but they're also available in some pharmacies and other health care facilities. If you have questions about whether or not it's time for you or someone else to have this test done, talk with your doctor about what options are available in your area!