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Definition
By Mayo Clinic staffA creatinine test reveals important information about your kidneys.
Creatinine is a chemical waste product that's produced by your muscle metabolism and to a smaller extent by eating meat. Healthy kidneys filter creatinine and other waste products from your blood. The filtered waste products leave your body in your urine.
If your kidneys aren't functioning properly, an increased level of creatinine may accumulate in your blood. A serum creatinine test measures the level of creatinine and gives you an estimate of how well your kidneys filter waste (glomerular filtration rate). A creatinine urine test can measure creatinine in your urine.
- Creatinine. American Association for Clinical Chemistry. http://www.labtestsonline.org/understanding/analytes/creatinine/multiprint.html. Accessed May 13, 2010.
- Stevens L, et al. Assessment of kidney function: Serum creatinine; BUN; and GFR. http://www.uptodate.com/home/index.html. Accessed May 5, 2010.
- Kidney disease of diabetes. National Institute of Diabetes and Digestive and Kidney Diseases. http://kidney.niddk.nih.gov/kudiseases/pubs/kdd/index.htm. Accessed May 13, 2010.
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