Creatinine is lowered in the blood: why and what to do?

Creatinine is lowered - this deviation is rare, but still occurs in humans. To understand why this pathology is revealed in patients, it is necessary to find out what creatinine is, for which it is generally necessary.

What is creatinine?

Creatinine is the final product of the so-called protein metabolism, which allows you to judge the state of the muscular system of a person and his kidneys. As is known, this substance is one of the elements of residual nitrogen. This is a set of non-protein components in the blood (ammonia, creatinine, uric acid, urea, etc.), which by means of the kidneys are subject to excretion from the body. According to the detected level of creatinine, as well as other substances, it is judged about the normal state and excretory function of the kidneys.

Where is it formed?

Why is creatinine lower in blood? Before answering the question, it is necessary to find out exactly where the residual nitrogen component is formed . Most of this substance occurs in muscle tissues from creatine phosphate, which is a kind of energy source, essential for muscle contraction. In addition, a small amount of this component is formed in the brain.

What is the norm of creatinine in the blood?

Increased or, conversely, a lowered level of creatinine in the blood can be detected only after a biochemical analysis. To get reliable results, it is recommended to take blood only in the morning and on an empty stomach (approximately eight hours after the last meal).

The concentration of this substance in the plasma depends on the normal or abnormal functioning of the kidneys. It should be specially noted that this value is quite stable.

In view of the fact that some part of creatinine is formed in muscle tissues, its quantity in the blood directly depends on the mass of the person (only the muscle). As is known, it is much higher in representatives of the stronger sex, and therefore the norm of the content of this component in the plasma is slightly higher (about 79-114 μmol / l) than in women (about 59-99 μmol / l.).

Increased creatinine content

In medical practice, an increased and decreased content of creatinine in human blood is observed. The first case is quite common in athletes due to the large muscle mass. Also, the elevated level of this substance can be in people who consume meat products a lot, and also take such medications as "Tetracycline", "Ibuprofen", "Cefazolin", etc.

One can not ignore the fact that this deviation from the norm may indicate the presence of the following diseases:

• Renal chronic insufficiency ;
• Renal acute insufficiency;
• Hyperthyroidism;
• Severe damage to muscle tissue.

Creatinine lowered: reasons for rejection

This pathology is rare. Typically, this happens when:

• Decrease in muscle mass caused by an illness (for example, muscular dystrophy);
• The occurrence of some types of severe liver disease, including cirrhosis;
• Observance of a strict diet with a rather low protein content (for example, vegetarianism);
• Pregnancy;
• Pronounced violations of the function of an organ such as the kidneys that arose during life-threatening infections, cancerous tumors, shock, low blood flow, or blockage of the urinary tract;
• Heart failure;
• Dehydration;
• Severe injuries of muscle tissue;
• Rhabdomyolysis;
• Lack of antidiuretic hormone (or abbreviated ADH).

As you can see, creatinine is lowered for different reasons. Increasing its content is fairly easy. To do this, it is recommended to build muscle mass, consume more proteins (meat, nuts, fish, seafood, etc.), vitamins and minerals, and undergo a full medical examination to identify possible diseases that need to be treated only under the supervision of a doctor.

How to reduce creatinine in the blood?

If you have a high content of this substance in the blood, then to reduce it, you must first cure those diseases against which this pathology occurred. In addition, it should be some time to adhere to strict vegetarianism, eat more fruits and vegetables.

It should also be noted that in order to reduce creatinine in the blood, some doctors prescribe special medications to their patients, including corticosteroids. If this deviation occurs against the background of active physical activity (exhausting sports or hard work), then it should be abandoned.

Let's sum up the results

Now you know why creatinine is lowered or elevated in the blood, and how to get rid of such a pathological condition. It should be specially noted that if you ignore such abnormal test results, the patient may develop quite serious complications related to kidney function.