The creatinine test price may change with location, laboratories, and the type of facilities you are receiving. The creatinine blood test is often conducted to examine the creatinine levels in your blood. Creatinine is a waste chemical substance produced during the regular activity of your muscles. If your kidneys are functioning properly, creatinine will be filtered from your blood. Generally, it is released from your body through urine. The amount of creatinine level in your blood can help to monitor whether your kidneys are healthy or not. In this post, you will get information about the normal range of creatinine.

What is the Creatinine Test?

A creatinine test can determine the function of your kidneys in clearing the waste substances from your blood. High creatinine levels in the blood may show kidney failure or damage.

About 100 times a day, blood passes to your kidneys. Nephrons are the part of your kidneys, which contain millions of small blood-filtering components. The nephrons help to filter your blood uniformly with a small group of blood vessels called glomeruli. The glomeruli remove waste material, high water amounts, and other toxic substances from your blood. These waste substances enter your bladder when you urinate they release into your urine.

Creatinine blood tests are often included in other tests as well, such as comprehensive metabolic panel (CMP), basic metabolic panel (BMP), or blood urea nitrogen (BUN). A doctor will examine the result of these tests to identify the particular disease and problem of your kidneys.

When does a doctor recommend the Creatinine test? 

A healthcare provider may recommend a blood creatinine test to see your creatinine levels if you have symptoms of kidney diseases. Here are the symptoms of kidney disease, which you may need to inform your doctor:

• Swelling in the feet, abdomen, face, or ankles
• Increasing blood pressure
• Problem in sleeping
• Less desire to eat
• Fatigue or tiredness
• Frequent urination
• Pain in your lower back
• Nausea and vomiting

A doctor may also suggest the creatinine test for the following causes:

• Observe kidney disease before its symptoms and when you have diabetes, high blood pressure, liver disease, or other medical conditions that may increase your chance of kidney disease.
• To see the effectiveness of the treatment from medication if you already have kidney disease.
• To analyze the side effects of medicines that can lead to kidney failure or damage.
• To see the working of your kidneys if you have recently transplanted.

The Procedure of the Creatinine Test:

This test can be performed either with a blood or a urine sample as per the guideline provided by your doctor. The creatinine test procedure can be conducted in two ways:

Creatinine Blood test: A healthcare provider will collect your blood sample at the laboratory after scheduling the blood test. A small needle combined with a test tube or a specimen will be inserted into a vein in your arm. A provider will collect a small amount of blood into the test tube. The blood sample will be stored at the laboratory to analyze the creatinine levels in your blood.

Creatinine Urine test: A provider will ask you to collect your urine for 24 hours into the sample container. Following are the easy steps that you can consider to get a 24-hour urine sample:

• Urinate into the toilet on the first day of the morning when you wake up
• Collect your urine into a sample container for the following 24 hours.
• Urinate into the container on the second day of the morning when you wake up.
• Place your urine sample in a cool place. After that, send your urine sample to the laboratory.

Preparation: 

A creatinine blood test usually does not require fasting (avoiding eating or drinking) before the test. It is recommended to inform your provider about the medicines, and supplements you are using for any particular disease. If your provider requests additional blood tests, you may need to fast for several hours before the test.

Normal Creatinine Levels 

The creatinine test result depends on gender and age. The creatinine level is expressed in milligrams per deciliter of blood (mg/dL). The normal creatinine levels for men and women aged between 18 to 60 years are 0.9 to 1.3 mg/dL and 0.6 to 1.1 mg/dL, respectively.

High creatinine levels may show kidney damage or improper functioning of the kidneys. The high serum creatinine levels than recommended may develop because of

• Blockage in the urinary tract
• Intake of high protein diet
• Dehydration
• Kidney disorders like infection or kidney failure
• Low blood supply to the kidneys

Low creatinine levels often do not lead to any health problems. It may occur due to a reduction in your muscle mass.

The serum creatinine levels may also help to determine the glomerular filtration rate (GFR). It is the amount of time required by your kidneys to filter blood. The creatinine amount may change from person to person, hence the value of GFR may help your provider to diagnose any disorder in your kidney function. The GFR can be calculated through a formula that develops from creatinine and some factors like age and sex. A GFR of less than 60 indicates a kidney problem. You can review the test result with an online provider.

Creatinine Test Price  

The creatinine test price lies between 15$ to 35$, depending on your selection of laboratories and hospital facilities. The creatinine test cost may increase if you live at an expensive location or take the test at a large hospital where you will pay more for the extra services. You may also ask your company whether they added the cost of the creatinine blood test to their insurance card. Get an online creatinine test at an affordable price without any insurance.

Conclusion 

The creatinine test may help your provider to detect kidney damage or failure. A healthcare provider will recommend this blood creatinine test when you experience symptoms of kidney disease. If you have high creatinine levels in your blood, you should get an online consultation with a professional doctor for treatment.