test Details

Abnormal functioning of the kidney

Creatinine is the waste end-product of your muscle metabolism. Your kidney functions to filter your blood and exterminate creatinine as well as other waste products from your blood. They exit your body through urination. Through this procedure of kidney functioning, your body maintains stable creatinine levels.

Creatinine level indicates your kidney Functions. Any change, increase or decrease, in its level may result in kidney dysfunction or kidney failure. To determine the functioning of this organ, doctors often order a Urinary Spot Creatinine test. Usually, a random or 24-hour urine sample is required for the test. Multiple healthcare experts opine that a 24-hour urine sample is good for the creatinine test as the chances of getting accurate results, in this case, are higher.

There are no normal levels of creatinine as it varies according to your body size, muscle mass, age group, gender, pregnancy status, etc. So your consultant doctor or physician will determine the normal range of creatinine by keeping your unique situation and other factors in consideration. Also, the creatinine values are not expressed as urine creatinine positive/negative. 

Kidney failure or disease, overhydration and diabetes are some of the causes of low creatinine.

The causes of high creatinine in urine include:

• Polycystic kidney disease
• Pregnancy
• High intake of protein and meat products
• Vigorous exercise
• Excessive intake of creatine supplements
• Sickle cell anaemia
• Obesity
• Dehydration
• High blood pressure.

People facing the conditions mentioned above are suggested to take the urinary spot creatinine test to detect kidney dysfunction or other related diseases at an early stage. Chronic and acute failure of this organ is difficult to cure and results in severe problems.

Other Names Of Urinary Spot Creatinine Test

• Urine creatinine test
• Serum creatinine test
• Urine creatinine test
• Creatinine test

What Does The Urinary Creatinine Test Detect and Who Is This Prescribed For?

The urinary creatinine test is used for the diagnosis of kidney functioning. It measures the value of creatinine in the person’s body. It doesn’t specifically detect the presence of any disease. After analysing the urinary creatinine test reports, the doctor may recommend other tests for further diagnosis.

The ranges of creatinine in urine serve as indications for doctors for analysing the causes of underlying diseases. They prescribe this test to persons having the below-mentioned symptoms or problems with the kidneys:

• Frequent tiredness
• Swelling in feet and ankles
• Irregular appetite
• Puffed eyes
• Dry and itchy skin
• Muscle pain
• Frequent and painful urination
• Bleeding in urine
• Insomnia.

Your doctor may also suggest you the urinary creatinine test:

• To diagnose the cause behind your kidney disease or symptoms of kidney disease.
• Check the functioning of your kidneys if you have diabetes, high blood pressure or other conditions that expose you more to the risk of kidney diseases.
• To track the effectiveness of the medication, you’re taking it for the treatment of kidney diseases.
• To monitor the after-effects of the medication.
• To check and analyse the functioning of a transplanted kidney.
• If you or your family has a history of kidney dysfunction

Ranges of creatinine in urine in the test are generally measured in milligrams per kilogram of body mass per day (mg/day). It takes a few days for the urinary creatinine test results to come.

There are no standard or universal normal reference ranges for the creatinine test for all people. The normal reference ranges vary depending on the laboratory taking the test. The normal ranges of the test results depend on age, gender, health history and the method used for the test. However, the American Board of Internal Medicine relies on 15 to 25 milligrams per kilogram of body weight (mg/kg) per 24-hour reference range for urinary creatinine:

The factors that may alter the creatinine levels of a person are mentioned below:

• Body size and muscle mass: Creatinine levels are affected by a person’s total muscle mass. It may affect the test accuracy in people who are amputees, bodybuilders, obese, malnourished, or otherwise have more or less muscle mass.
• Age: Creatinine levels are generally low in older people because they have reduced muscle mass.
• Gender: Usually, normal ranges for creatinine are lower for females as compared to men.
• Diet: People who eat non-veg and other meat products usually have higher levels of creatinine in comparison to people who are vegetarians. Healthcare experts often suggest that you temporarily stop eating meat products before taking the urinary creatinine test.
• Medications: Certain medicines and drugs might alter the levels of creatinine in your urine.
• Pregnancy: Generally, during pregnancy, creatinine levels fall. However, in case of pregnancy complications, the creatinine levels rise.

A healthy person with efficient kidney functioning has stable creatinine levels. As mentioned above, there are no standard normal ranges of creatinine levels. So your doctor will evaluate and interpret creatinine levels taking into consideration all the factors.

If your doctor diagnoses that your creatinine levels are abnormal, such abnormal levels may indicate your kidneys are not filtering the blood efficiently. Your creatinine levels are useful in measuring your glomerular filtration rate (one of the methods of assessing kidney function).

If the creatinine level is higher than normal then it may indicate dehydration and muscle diseases. In pregnant women, an elevated creatinine level is generally due to some pregnancy complications.

However, creatinine levels also increase due to excess quantity of protein, meat products or the supplement creatine. This will have no serious effects on your kidneys, but if high creatinine levels persist, you may need to consult a healthcare expert or doctor.

A lower level of creatinine usually is a sign of:

• Muscle diseases, such as muscular dystrophy
• Liver disease
• Malnutrition
• Low muscle mass
• Kidney damage and disease
• Overhydration
• Diabetes
• Certain drugs such as trimethoprim/sulfamethoxazole (Bactrim, Cotrim, Septra), acetaminophen (Tylenol, Panadol, paracetamol), etc.

However, older people have low amounts of creatinine due to low muscle mass, which is normal in old age.

A urine sample is required for the purpose of the urinary spot creatinine test procedure. You can collect the urine sample randomly and send it to the lab. However, healthcare experts can ask for 24-hour urine samples as it provides more accurate urinary creatinine test results.

Test Preparation

No special preparation like fasting is required for taking the urinary spot creatinine test. However, there are certain drugs and medications, herbs, vitamins, and supplements that might affect your urinary spot creatinine test results. So you may need to temporarily stop taking medicines like cefoxitin or trimethoprim a few hours before the test, depending on your doctor.

Your doctor might also ask you to stop eating meat products before the test for the accuracy of the urinary creatinine results. Your healthcare expert may also provide you with certain other instructions before the test to measure the accurate creatinine level in the urine.

Test Inclusions: What Parameters Are Included?

Urine creatinine test checks for one parameter, i.e. measuring the level of creatinine in urine to analyse the functioning of the kidneys.

Higher levels of creatinine may result in kidney failure, kidney infection, reduction of blood flow to kidneys and dehydration. A low creatinine level may damage your liver and can be the reason for muscle diseases.

How Frequently Should You Take This Test?

The urinary creatinine test should be done at least once a year so that possible kidney diseases can be diagnosed at an early stage and treated. However, the test can be taken more than once a year, depending on the advice of your healthcare expert.

If you are on medication for kidney disease, your doctor might ask you to repeat the test more frequently to ensure that the medicines are working effectively.