I Hate Dialysis Message Board
Dialysis Discussion => Dialysis: General Discussion => Topic started by: kristina on November 01, 2009, 03:44:13 AM
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Effects of Creatinine on ESRF?
Might there be a possibility, for example,
in a Lupus/Fibromyalgia-flare-up, when the muscles feel painful,
that the liver “instinctively” produces Creatine to “satisfy” this muscle episode,
and thereby, Creatinine is produced as a by-product by the muscles;
but because the patients kidneys work only 10%, they cannot filter all the excess Creatinine out;
then another episode of fibromyalgia-flare-up occurs, causing yet another increase of Creatinine and so on.
The kidney function in reality remains constant, but the rising of the Creatinine level seen in blood tests gives the impression
the function of the kidneys is deteriorating?
In addition to which I have wondered whether this build-up of Creatinine has a detrimental effect on the kidneys?
Kidney function-tests use several criteria, but could the rising Creatinine levels overly influence the group of criteria to give a negative result?
Thank you, Kristina.
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Intense muscle workouts can raise creatinine levels. I wouldn't be surprised if other muscles disorders could cause similar rises. But the nephrologist should also be looking at the BUN and the urea:creatinine ratio, which can give an indication that creatinine is higher because of some cause other than a decrease in kidney function.
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Is this thread saying that raised creatinine levels are not necessarily an indication of lack of kidney function?
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Does anyone know if a constantly high level of Creatinine
could damage the glomeruli, or,
if not damage directly,
excert some effect which makes the kidneys shut down?
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Sounds like something you need to ask a physician.
I've always been told creatinine is an indicator of the kidney function. When the kidneys malfunction,then you get raised creatinine levels.
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To my way of understanding this is a bit around the wrong way.
A high level of creat doesn't affect the kidneys so much as it is a *result* of low kidney function. Given creat is a measure of toxins in the blood a high level is simply saying that the kidneys are not filtering the toxins enough so it's more a symptom rather than a cause.
I'm happy to be corrected but that's my understanding.
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As regards an excess of Creatinine in the blood, I mean it in this context:
Imagine you have a fine sieve and you pour a little flour into the sieve,
all the flour passes through the sieve successfully, but if you increase the amount of flour
being poured into the fine-mashed sieve, there will be an ever increasing build-up of flour in the sieve.
The sieve (filter) may be in perfect order but the flour builds up.
This build-up of flour does not necessarily indicate the sieve is in a poor condition.
It merely shows that when too much flour is being poured through the sieve an excess builds up slowly.
In addition to which there may be some danger to the sieve because of the weight of flour.
This is what I mean when I ask about an excess of Creatinine being produced in the blood which comes
from muscle activity (fibrolyalgia) and which cannot be totally filtered out by the kidneys (sieve).
Thank you, Kristina.
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All physicians I talk to about creatinine say it is used to measure kidney function because creatinine builds up when kidneys don't filter it out. I'm not a scientist so I'm just spewing back to you what I've learned and researched. My doctors would probably tell you creatinine does NOT cause kidneys to malfunction, but rather that creatinine is an indicator that kidneys are,in fact, malfunctioning.