Normal creatinine levels by age

What is a creatinine test?

This test measures creatinine levels in a sample of your blood and/or urine (pee). Creatinine is a normal waste product in your body.

It's made when you use your muscles and some of the muscle tissue breaks down.

Normally, your kidneys filter creatinine from your blood and remove it from your body in your urine.

If there is a problem with your kidneys, creatinine can build up in your blood and less may be released in urine. If blood and/or urine creatinine levels are not normal, it may be a sign of kidney disease.

Creatinine in blood may be measured by itself or as part of a group of tests called a comprehensive metabolic panel (CMP) or a basic metabolic panel (BMP).

Your health care provider may order these tests as part of a routine checkup.

Other names: blood creatinine, serum creatinine, urine creatinine, kidney function, renal function

What is it used for?

A creatinine test is used to help:

• Check the health of your kidneys
• Diagnose kidney disease
• Monitor known kidney problems and see how well treatment is working
• Check
  how long is a creatinine test good for
  how long does a creatinine blood test take