CREATININE

Creatinine and creatinine clearance tests measure the level of the waste product CREATININE in your blood and urine. These tests tell how well your kidneys are working. The substance creatine is formed urine when food is changed into energy through a process called metabolism. Creatine is broken down into another substance called creatinine, which is taken out of your blood by the kidneys and then passed out urine. of your body in urine If your kidneys are damaged and cannot work normally, the amount of creatinine in your urine goes down while its level in your blood goes up. Types of tests on creatinine can be done: Blood creatinine level The blood creatinine level shows how well your kidneys are working. A high creatinine level may mean your kidneys are not working properly. The amount of creatinine in the blood depends partly on the amount of muscle tissue you have; men generally have higher creatinine levels than women. Creatinine clearance test A creatinine clearance test measures how well creatinine is removed from your blood by your kidneys. A creatinine clearance test gives better information than a blood creatinine test on how well your kidneys are working. A creatinine clearance test is done on both a blood sample and on a sample of urine collected over 24 hours (24-hour urine sample). . Why It Is Done A blood creatinine level or a creatinine clearance test is done to: See if your kidneys are working normally. See if your kidney disease is changing. See how well the kidneys work in people who take medicines that can cause kidney damage. Check for severe dehydration. Dehydration generally causes BUN levels to rise more than creatinine levels. This causes a high BUN-to-creatinine ratio. Kidney disease or blockage of the flow of urine from your kidney causes both BUN and creatinine levels to rise. Serum creatinine (a blood measurement) is an important indicator of renal health because it is an easilymeasured by-product of muscle metabolism. Creatinine itself is an important biomolecule because it is a major by-product of energy usage in muscle,[2] via a biological system involving creatine, phosphocreatine (also known as creatine phosphate), and adenosine triphosphate (ATP, the body's immediate energy supply.( Creatine is primarily synthesized in the liver from the methylation of glycocyamine (guanidino acetate, synthesized in the kidney from the amino acids arginine, glycine, and methionine) by S-Adenosyl methionine. It is then transported through blood to the other organs, muscle, and brain where, through phosphorylation, it becomes the high energy compound phosphocreatine.[3] During the reaction Creatine:phosphocreatine, catalyzed by Creatine kinase, spontaneous conversion to creatinine may occur. Creatinine is chiefly filtered out of the blood by the kidneys (glomerular filtration and proximal tubular secretion). There is little or no tubular reabsorption of creatinine. If the filtering of the kidney is deficient, creatinine blood levels rise. Therefore, creatinine levels in blood and urine may be used to calculate the creatinine clearance (CrCl), which reflects the glomerular filtration rate (GFR.( The GFR is clinically important because it is a measurement of renal function. A more complete estimation of renal function can be made when interpreting the blood (plasma) concentration of creatinine along with that of urea. BUN-to-creatinine ratio (the ratio of blood urea nitrogen to creatinine) can indicate other problems besides those intrinsic to the kidney; for example, a urea level raised out of proportion to the creatinine may indicate a pre-renal problem such as volume depletion. Each day 1-2% of muscle creatine is converted to creatinine. Men tend to have higher levels of creatinine than women because they generally have a greater mass of skeletal muscle. Increased dietary intake of creatine or eating a lot of meat can increase daily creatinine excretion

Foods to Avoid When Creatinine Is High Creatinine is a blood test that is ordered to assess kidney function. High levels of creatinine can also be related to a bacterial infection of the kidneys, called pyelonephritis, kidney stone, or other obstruction to the urinary tract, or to conditions that decrease the blood flow to the kidneys, such as dehydration, congestive heart failure or uncontrolled diabetes. High Protein Foods When elevated creatinine is related to kidney damage, doctors advise decreasing the amount of protein in the diet. Protein, when broken down, creates a waste product called urea. When kidney function is decreased, the body cannot rid itself of the waste and it builds up. Reducing protein in the diet can help decrease the amount of waste produced. Animal proteins are most contributory, such as red meat, chicken and pork. It is advisable to get adequate protein from plant sources, such as soy and legumes. High Sodium Foods When kidney disease or high blood pressure is suspected, the first dietary change is often to reduce sodium in the diet. Fresh foods over packaged, convenience foods are recommended. Canned foods are particularly high sources of sodium in the American diet. When eating out, those trying to lower their sodium intake should avoid fast food restaurants and ask that foods be prepared without salt. High Glycemic Foods Because uncontrolled diabetes can lead to kidney damage, foods to avoid are those that have a greater impact on blood sugar. DiabetesNet offers a list of foods that are most likely to raise blood sugar, called high glycemic index foods. White, refined flour should be replaced with whole grains, such as whole wheat, oats and barley. Sugary foods such as cakes, cookies, pies and candy should be limited or eliminated. Diuretic Foods When high creatinine is caused by dehydration, it is important to avoid foods that will further dehydrate the body. Caffeinated beverages, such as coffee, tea and colas should be replaced with regular water or fruit juice. At least 64 ounces of fluid should be ingested daily. Foods with high protein' Low-protein diet is commonly recommended for kidney disease patients, and this is because too much protein intake will increase extra renal burden, which can worsen kidney damages and therefore cause a higher creatinine level. Beans, bean products, fish, milk, egg white and lean meat are high in protein, they need to be avoided in theory. However, to meet the physical demand, kidney disease patients can take some fish, milk and lean meat. They contain high quality protein and cause little extra renal burden. Therefore, they are available for kidney disease patients, but the intake of them need to be limited. Depending on the kidney function, the exact amount of protein intake will vary. Foods with high potassium and phosphorus need to be avoided as well Kidney disease patients are easily to suffer from high levels of potassium and phosphorus due to decrease kidney function. Therefore, if lad tests show that the amount of their potassium and phosphorus in blood is higher than the normal value, foods with high potassium or phosphorus should be restrict strictly. Foods with highest in potassium include avocados, red chili powder, coca powder, chocolate, dried apricots, prunes, zante currants, and raisins, pistachios, various nuts, pumpkin seeds, squash seeds, sunflower seeds and so on. Foods that is high in phosphorus include bran, pumpkin seeds, squash seeds, sunflower seeds, cheese, sesame seeds, nuts, bacon, fax seeds