Creatinine levels always indicate the proportion of chemical waste molecules
in the blood stream. Generally, men have approximately 0.6~1.2 mg/dL, whereas
women have 0.5~1.1 mg/dL of creatinine. High creatinine levels point to kidney
malfunction. Some persons find out that they have Renal Failure when extreme
creatinine amounts show up in routine blood test, but have no symptoms. Why?
The kidneys filter large volumes of blood to remove excess water and wastes.
Creatinine, a nitrogenous waste product produced by muscular activity, is
commonly eliminated by the kidneys. Generally, healthy persons will have a
constant level of creatinine over time.
When the kidneys' filtering units are damaged, people begin to develop kidney
disease. Wastes products that should be excreted in the urine will build up in
the blood, leading to some toxic effects. However, our kidneys have strong
ability of functional compensation. Even without feeling any symptoms at all,
your kidney function may have been severely impaired.
Unfortunately, by the time when high levels of creatinine have been detected,
you may have lost a substantial proportion of kidney function. When obvious
symptoms present, it is already the stage of Renal Failure. Is there any other
better way to detect the decline of kidney function in the early stage?
The answer is "Yes". These include Glomerular Filtration Rate (GFR) and
Cystatin C test.
1. Cystatin C may be used to screen for and monitor kidney dysfunction.
Measuring Cystatin C is also useful in the early detection of kidney disease
when other test results may still be normal and an affected individual may have
few, if any, symptoms.
2. GFR can reflect the function of glomeruli, and the normal range for
healthy ones is male-(125±15) ml/min, female-10% lower than that of male. Kidney
disease can be divided into five stages ranging from a GFR greater than 90
(Stage 1), GFR 60-89 (Stage 2), GFR 30-59 (Stage 3), GFR 15-29 (Stage 4) and
less than 15 cc/min (Stage 5).
As one of the largest kidney disease specialized hospital in the world, we
have the most-advanced diagnostic technology and techniques. With an early
detection and effective treatment, your kidney disease can always be treated
successfully in clinic.