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Blood Work Stated An Elevated Serum Creatinine. Should I Be Concerned?
Question: Last month I had blood drawn for a life insurance policy. The blood work came back stating an elevated serum creatinine (1.5). How concerned should I be about this results. I have an option to get retested, would you recommend doing that...is the result likely to vary? Thanks.
Hi. I'm Dr. Clark and am glad to be able to assist you this evening.
The creatinine test is a measure of kidney function by detecting the level of this waste product in the blood that is removed by the kidneys and excreted in the urine. Several things could have contributed to this very slightly elevated level (up to 1.3 is normal).
The most common cause of a small elevation like yours is due to being slightly dehydrated. Perhaps you had not had enough to drink that day or were fasting for the test but in any case I would not be too concerned and just have the test repeated by your own physician and just be sure you drink a lot of fluids before having your blood drawn.
Please let me know if you have any questions but I would not be too concerned.
The creatinine test is a measure of kidney function by detecting the level of this waste product in the blood that is removed by the kidneys and excreted in the urine. Several things could have contributed to this very slightly elevated level (up to 1.3 is normal).
The most common cause of a small elevation like yours is due to being slightly dehydrated. Perhaps you had not had enough to drink that day or were fasting for the test but in any case I would not be too concerned and just have the test repeated by your own physician and just be sure you drink a lot of fluids before having your blood drawn.
Please let me know if you have any questions but I would not be too concerned.
Above answer was peer-reviewed by :
Dr. Raju A.T
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