KidneyReported in mg/dLCreatinine
A waste product of muscle metabolism that healthy kidneys clear steadily. It is the main blood test for filtration.
What it measures
Muscle creates creatinine at a fairly constant rate, and the kidneys filter it into urine. When filtration falls, creatinine rises. The blood level also depends on how much muscle you have, which is why the adult interval is a little higher for men than for women, and why a very muscular person can sit at the top of the interval with healthy kidneys. Labs often convert creatinine, age, and sex into an estimated GFR. That estimate is the number clinicians quote as “kidney function.”
Why it is on the panel
Chronic kidney disease is common and silent until it is advanced. Creatinine on a preventive panel is how that silence gets interrupted. It also changes how other results are read, from potassium to medication safety.
How to read it
Read creatinine with urea nitrogen. Both high, especially if you have been ill or short on fluids, can be a short-term hit that improves with hydration. A creatinine that stays high on a repeat draw is the one that leads to an estimated GFR and a longer conversation. Compare with your own prior result if you have one. A rise inside the interval can still be meaningful.
When it runs higher
Dehydration, a high-protein meal, creatine supplements, certain medicines (including some antibiotics and pain medicines), urinary blockage, and kidney disease raise creatinine. A single mild bump is often repeated. A clearly high result, or one that is rising, needs follow-up.
When it runs lower
A low creatinine usually means less muscle, which is common in older adults and is not a kidney disease. Pregnancy lowers it because filtration rises. A “great” low number is not extra kidney credit.
Same group
Other Kidney tests
How to use this page
This page explains what the measurement is for. It is educational. Your Healiam report includes the reference interval for your age and sex, and a clinician reads that result with your history, medicines, and the rest of the panel. Talk with a clinician before changing diet, supplements, or treatment because of a number on a report.
Creatinine
Creatinine is part of the full panel.
No referral or insurance required.
One preventive draw covers this measurement and the rest of the Healiam panel. CLIA-certified results come back in days.