Creatinine is a substance that is obtained after the breakdown of creatine. When the body makes use of amino acid creatine to get energy, a chemical waste called creatinine is left behind. Creatine is an amino acid produced by the liver and it’s stored in the liver too. Creatinine is obtained from the normal muscle metabolism. Once creatine is broken down, creatinine (a waste product of creatine breakdown) enters the bloodstream. The kidney removes it from a person’s blood through the filtering process. The substance eventually exits a person’s body through urination. The breakdown of creatine, the filtering of creatinine by the kidneys, and the subsequent elimination from the body through urination, help maintain normal levels of creatinine. Sometimes, however, there may be low or high creatinine levels in routine or urine tests.
The normal levels of creatinine in body may vary depending on muscle mass and body size. Averagely, the normal range of creatinine in men is from 0.6 to 1.2 mg/dl. In women, the normal range is from 0.5 to 1.1 mg/dl.
Creatine has become popular because it is considered a dietary supplement that may help increase body mass and improve the performance of short-term intense workouts while also aiding in recovery of tissues and muscles. Having low levels of creatinine may signal a problem with an individual’s muscles or the liver. Sometimes, low levels of the substance may indicate less serious issues like pregnancy or reduced muscle mass among elderly persons.
Creatinine Test
The chemical substance known as creatinine is present in a person’s blood serum and the kidneys play part in removing it from the blood before it is expelled out of the body in urine. While being a chemical waste product, creatinine can help in fighting disease. It has shown the ability to impair bacterial growth. Doctors use creatinine clearance test to show how kidneys are filtering and removing the substance from people’s bloodstream.
High Creatinine Levels
What causes low creatinine levels may not be same as what causes high creatinine levels. Doctors can also use the measurement for creatinine levels to assess the function of kidneys. If creatinine is increasing in a person’s body, doctors may want to check if there is a problem with the kidneys. Having high creatinine amounts in blood may indicate that there is excess creatine in a person’s body or the kidneys are not filtering and removing creatinine efficiently from the body.
High creatinine levels may be brought about by kidney infection, kidney damage or failure, dehydration, and reduced circulation to the kidneys. A person having high creatinine amounts in blood may have symptoms like fatigue, nausea, chest pains, high blood pressure, changes in urinate, vomiting, and muscle cramps.
Causes of Low Creatinine Levels
A number of things may cause the levels of creatinine in a person’s to be low. These include:
Low muscle mass: Having low muscle mass may reduce the levels of creatinine in the body. With age or due to illness, the amount of muscle a person has decreases. Low levels could mean that the individual’s muscles aren’t as strong or they are deteriorating. A person with muscular dystrophy (MD) may have low creatinine in their body.
Liver problems: If the liver is unhealthy or diseased, it may not produce sufficient creatine, which is to be broken down to creatinine. Having chronic liver disease can cause the production of creatine in liver to reduce by about 50 percent. This means that an individual will have reduced levels of creatinine circulating in blood. A simple test referred to as serum creatinine test can check for creatinine levels.
Diet: Creatine is produced in a person’s body, but there is a little amount obtained from food people eat. If you have low creatinine levels, it could indicate your diet doesn’t provide enough of the substance. Creatine may be found in meat meaning strict vegetarians and people who take low-protein diet may have lower creatinine levels. Another cause may be fasting or having an illness for a long time that prevents an individual from eating.
Pregnancy: In pregnancy, the levels of creatinine are low, but they get back to normal when a woman delivers.
Low Creatinine Levels – Symptoms
Having low creatinine levels may present with the following symptoms:
- Low muscle mass characterized by lack of strength, a thin or weak body, and difficulty exercising or even walking.
- Liver disease involving enlarged or inflamed liver that may bring about pain within the upper right area of an individual’s abdomen and fatigue or nausea. Liver disease may present with other symptoms like jaundice and bloody, pale, or tar-colored stool.
- Losing weight and feeling dizzy or faint
- Excess water loss that may be caused by certain medications and pregnancy. A person may also take in excess water.
In most cases, the symptoms may not directly show that a person has low creatinine levels. In fact, they may only indicate or point to some other health problems. So, a doctor will have to perform a test to help with the diagnosis if there are other symptoms that point to other conditions. Also, low creatinine may not necessary indicate a health problem, it could just be something to do with poor nutrient like having a protein-limited diet or fasting or a case of malnutrition.
Diagnosing Low Creatinine
A doctors may use different tests to check an individual’s creatinine levels. Serum creatinine tests is used to measure creatinine amount in a person’s bloodstream. A doctor may also use creatinine urine test. In case the lab result show low creatinine levels, the doctor may consider doing more tests to rule out the possibility of a muscular disease. For example, muscle biopsy or muscle enzyme test may be done to look for damage on muscle.
Low Creatinine Levels – Treatment
A person having low creatinine levels will get treatment based on what’s causing the levels to go down. If the person has a muscular disease, then treatment will help to restore the muscle, reduce muscle pain, reduce degeneration, and reduce weakness. A patient may take corticosteroids to help enhance an individual’s muscle strength. The patient may require therapy to help enhance their quality of life. If low creatinine levels are occurring because of pregnancy, they should be able to get back to normal after a woman gives birth, unless otherwise. If a medication you are taking is causing low levels of creatinine, you may want to discuss that with your physician to see if the dosage can be adjusted or you can switch to a different medication.
In case the low creatinine levels aren’t being brought about by an underlying medical condition, then there may be no need for medical treatment. A doctor may device steps that are aimed at increasing a person’s muscle mass and normalizing their creatinine levels. A person can increase their physical activity and perform strength exercises regularly to help with building muscle mass. Swimming, biking, walking, aerobics, and weight lifting are some of the strength exercises and individual can perform. In case the doctor feels that the low muscle mass has been caused by nutrition problem or extreme weight loss, then you may have to adjust your diet. Take about 5 to 6 small, but healthy meals every day and make sure that you have vegetables, fruits, and protein-rich foods.
Often, having low creatinine levels may be considered a normal part of the aging process. It may also be a temporary issue a person can get hold off if they change their diet. If creatinine levels are low and there are other symptoms manifesting in an individual that indicate liver disease or other health problem, a doctor has to test and confirm that for appropriate treatment. In people who take high-intensity exercises, creatine taken as dietary supplement may be considered safe. Because the body produces its own creatine, people who are moderately active and who take balanced diet may not need to have creatine supplement. Strict vegetarians or those who take low-protein diet may benefit from creatine supplement.
