Here Is What Causes High Creatinine Levels

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Are you wondering what causes high creatinine levels? Maybe you got a recent blood test and you are looking at some of the things that are flagged as high or low and yours says high creatinine.  Creatinine is a way to measure your kidney function.  In this article, we look at what causes creatinine levels to go up and down and what the actual test is measuring.
Creatinine is a chemical byproduct of creatine, which comes from muscle tissue.  Mostly, creatine helps deliver energy to the muscle when higher energy demands are present.  You have probably heard of creatine in terms of building muscle, body building, and overall athletic performance.  This is the same thing that we are talking about.  However, don't confuse creatine with creatinine. 

Creatine actually turns into creatinine via the enzyme creatinine kinase.  Creatine it's continually being produced by the liver and therefore its production is said to be constant.  Because of that ongoing production of creatine, there's also an ongoing production of creatinine.  The creatinine is eliminated from the body via the kidneys.  Since we know where it comes from and we know how it's eliminated from the body, we know why someone might have high levels or what causes high levels of creatinine.
Let me give you a little more context and detail so you can fully grasp this for your own health.  We said that creatinine comes from creatine, which comes from muscle. Therefore, the more muscle mass you have, and the bigger you are overall, the more creatinine you are going to end up with. 

Now, the general utility of the creatinine test is to look at your kidney function or estimated GFR.  GFR stands for glomerular filtration rate.  The Glomeruli are little filtration systems within the kidney itself.  How well those glomeruli filtration systems are working is said to be related to the creatinine.

The higher your blood creatinine level, the lower your kidney filtration rate because the creatinine goes out through the kidneys in the urinary system.  If there's a problem in those filtration systems, the blood creatinine goes up. So that's how we generally think about this test.  However, there are some problems or some ways that this test can be a bit misleading. 
The first being, it doesn't really factor in your actual weight.  If you are really really small, really really big, or even slightly above or below average it skews the results.  It skews the glomerular filtration rate.  Almost always, when you look at the GFR, there's a little 'e' next to it.  That 'e' stands for estimated.  It's an estimate because it doesn't factor in your weight. It also does not factor in your gender (some labs do) , which is also important because males tend to have more muscle mass than females.

So this is really important.  There are actual calculators that will factor in your weight and gender.  With this you can get a more appropriate measurement.  There are also other tests that don't use creatinine to measure your kidney function.

The other thing that can sometimes happen when looking at causes of high creatinine levels is recent high intensity exercise close to the test.  Because creatinine levels are related to muscle, muscle cells damage can cause higher amounts of creatinine in the blood.  Therefore with exercise you can see the kidney function look a little bit off.  This can happen one to two days away from a high intensity exercise activity.  The same thing can happen with liver enzymes. 

Exercise and Elevated Liver Enzymes

Now, if you are regularly doing exercise and this is just part of your routine, we wouldn't expect much affect on the creatinine level.  If it's something new and really intense for your body, that's when it will influence your creatinine level.  It will cause a high creatinine.  The other thing is if you are taking creatine on a regular basis, it will raise your creatinine levels as well. 

Of course, the most concerning reason for high creatine levels is you actually do have poor kidney functions.  So that's the most obvious thing to look at.  There are other reasons not mentioned that can cause this that have nothing to do with your actual kidney function too.
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Hello Doc...Thank you for making a video on this. Peace and blessings.

mhenderson
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Thanks for this! Got a slightly high reading and am pretty convinced intense exercise and creatine supplements are influencing, this helps back that up and we shall see in 2 weeks after a retest!

TheGaryMantione
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Way more information than what my doc gave me, I had a 1.4 on my last test and was told I can’t take certain types of pain meds anymore, I’m also 6 253 and workout regularly I guess that makes a difference after watching this .

fraterx
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We need more doctors like this who know the difference between males and females ..👍

revzone
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Excellent video, very informative indeed. It explained my raised levels. Thank you.

bobbrown
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Thank you for explaining in a way I was able to understand. I'm only 5'9 156bs and use the gym regularly, I was using powder Creatine daily, which was raising my EGFR, in short everyone reading this should be careful when using aftermarket supplements. Thank you, From FL.

scottliegel
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My ALBUMIN/CREATININE RATIO, RANDOM URINE was high at 360. I’m diabetic for 30 years. The one thing I’m confused is the doctor said my kidney and my liver is at good function no issues. It’s just this number is high.

Sharky
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From what I've read and researched, creatine supplementation, intense exercise, muscle mass, and meat (cooked) consumption, all affect creatinine levels in a negative way. Why then aren't more medical professionals more aware of this and asking questions of their patients, instead of jumping straight to kidney disease?

ericedelbroich
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When I was 16 I was a dancer and pushed myself hard to keep up with my peers but felt I struggled most. Sweat more, got tired sooner and stayed sore longer. I thought I was out of shape. Tried to eat better but I could t never get stronger or feel more energy

I was in pain for days and my pediatrician ran some tests. A needle inserted into my muscle attached to a monitor and I had to contract my muscle. They did this in my hand, forearm, thigh and shin muscles. They also did a blood test of drawing every 15 mins. My creatinine (cpk) levels were off the charts! Like 200, 000! Way abnormal! I wasn’t taking ANY supplements!

In the end he said I had a “defective enzyme” but not full blown muscular dystrophy. Said I actually have strong muscles but lack the enzyme power to fuel them.

Essentially i could work alongside someone of my same biometrics and get more tired sooner than they would.

Told me to pace myself and listen to my body.

Getting in shape is very hard for me. I feel chronically tired.

What is the name of this? I cannot remember. I was 16

Arlene_witha_y
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Thank you. I was a little concerned until I heard you explanations or the eGFR and the taking of a creatine supplement. My test result were just as you described. Well Done.

imanjkenpoaviationexpressions
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Thank you for the video. I am 130 kg big man. Trained strength training for over 20 years. I got my results 9 points over the range. So I was stressed about that. But yeah. So and training day before the test maybe that’s why :) I train hard so I mean hard. 😁💪😳 hopefully that’s why it was slight higher

christophersveum
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Brilliant explanation 👍Thank you very much Doc🙏

mkmanoj
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Hey doc. My creatinine levels have been around 2 for more than a year now. Proteinuria around 1mg. Have a lot of mental disorders as well. No particular damage to kidneys as of now. Any idea what's wrong with me? Also being checked for autoimmune disease cause I have a lot of physical symptoms related to that. Thanks

thomasjoy
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very informative! i think the reason why my creatinine level is so high is because i am a runner! and i run while i have muscle pain . i cant stop running event though im in alot of pain?

carledwards
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My creatinine is 1.46. My EGFR is 59. How do I determine if my kidneys are the problem or it’s something else?

DouglasGrant-xc
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Actually, if you have kind of an athlete lifestyle, if your creatinine came high, please measure your cystatin C levels.

doctorvpc
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What about gout is gout a player and it’s not really a kidney issue

DouglasGrant-xc
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Please explain a bit slowly because you are talking. fast can't understand.Thank you.

farihanawaz
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That's it Doc, ur definitely talking too fast 'cause ur a master of ur subject but we r clueless ... Therefore, try to go slow ... I could only understand it's got to do something with the muscles & liver ... Anyway, I'm going to listen to ur words repeatedly ... Maybe I'll understand ... But it's a good video anyway ... Thanks ...

gulzarrai
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Doc & community: Urinalysis showed Creatinine mg/dL Value 513.00. Local physician told me to drink water and not to worry, but I’m worried.

miahconnell