Creatinine clearance test
The creatinine clearance test helps provide information about how well the kidneys are working. The test compares the creatinine level in urine with the creatinine level in blood.
How the Test is Performed
This test requires both a urine sample and blood sample. You will collect your urine for 24 hours and then have blood taken. Follow instructions exactly. This ensures accurate results.
Urine sample
The creatinine urine test measures the amount of creatinine in urine. This test is done to see how well your kidneys are working. Creatinine in the ...
Read Article Now Book Mark ArticleBlood sample
The creatinine blood test measures the level of creatinine in the blood. This test is done to see how well your kidneys are working. Creatinine in t...
Read Article Now Book Mark ArticleCollect your urine for 24 hours
The urine 24-hour volume test measures the amount of urine produced in a day. The amounts of creatinine, protein, and other chemicals released into ...
Read Article Now Book Mark ArticleHow to Prepare for the Test
Before the test, your health care provider may ask you to stop taking medicines that may affect the test results. These include some antibiotics and stomach acid medicines. Be sure to tell your provider about all the medicines you take.
Do not stop taking any medicine before talking to your provider.
How the Test will Feel
The urine test involves only normal urination. There is no discomfort.
When the needle is inserted to draw blood, some people feel moderate pain. Others feel only a prick or stinging. Afterward, there may be some throbbing or a slight bruise. This soon goes away.
Why the Test is Performed
Creatinine is a waste product of creatine. Creatine is a chemical the body makes to supply energy, mainly to muscles.
The creatinine clearance test compares the creatinine level in urine with the creatinine level in blood. This gives an estimate of the glomerular filtration rate (GFR). GFR is a measure of how well the kidneys are working, mainly the kidneys' filtering units. These filtering units are called glomeruli.
Creatinine level in urine
The creatinine urine test measures the amount of creatinine in urine. This test is done to see how well your kidneys are working. Creatinine in the ...
Read Article Now Book Mark ArticleCreatinine level in blood
The creatinine blood test measures the level of creatinine in the blood. This test is done to see how well your kidneys are working. Creatinine in t...
Read Article Now Book Mark ArticleGlomerular filtration rate
Glomerular filtration rate (GFR) is a test used to check how well the kidneys are working. Specifically, it estimates how much blood passes through ...
Read Article Now Book Mark ArticleCreatinine is removed, or cleared, from the body by the kidneys. If kidney function is abnormal, creatinine level increases in the blood because less creatinine is excreted through the urine.
Normal Results
Clearance is often measured as milliliters per minute (mL/min) or milliliters per second (mL/s). Normal values are:
- Male: 97 to 137 mL/min (1.65 to 2.33 mL/s).
- Female: 88 to 128 mL/min (1.467 to 2.18 mL/s).
Normal value ranges may vary slightly among different laboratories. Some labs use different measurements or test different samples. Talk to your provider to know about the meaning of your specific test results.
What Abnormal Results Mean
A lower than normal creatinine clearance may indicate:
-
Kidney problems, such as damage to the tubule cells
Damage to the tubule cells
Acute tubular necrosis (ATN) is a kidney disorder involving damage to the tubule cells of the kidneys, which can lead to acute kidney failure. The t...
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Kidney failure
Acute kidney failure is the rapid (less than 2 days) loss of your kidneys' ability to remove waste and help balance fluids and electrolytes in your b...
Read Article Now Book Mark Article - Too little blood flow to the kidneys
- Damage to the filtering units of the kidneys (glomerulonephritis)
Damage to the filtering units of the ki...
Glomerulonephritis is a type of kidney disease in which the part of your kidneys that helps filter waste and fluids from the blood is damaged....
Read Article Now Book Mark Article - Loss of body fluids (dehydration)
Loss of body fluids
Dehydration occurs when your body does not have as much water and fluids as it needs. Dehydration can be mild, moderate, or severe, based on how much...
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- Heart failure
Heart failure
Heart failure is a condition in which the heart is no longer able to pump oxygen-rich blood to the rest of the body efficiently. This causes symptom...
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Risks
There is little risk involved with having your blood taken. Veins and arteries vary in size from one person to another and from one side of the body to the other. Taking blood from some people may be more difficult than from others.
Other risks associated with having blood drawn are slight, but may include:
- Excessive bleeding
- Fainting or feeling lightheaded
- Multiple punctures to locate veins
- Blood accumulating under the skin (hematoma)
- Infection (a slight risk any time the skin is broken)
Reviewed By
Jacob Berman, MD, MPH, Clinical Assistant Professor of Medicine, Division of General Internal Medicine, University of Washington School of Medicine, Seattle, WA. Also reviewed by David C. Dugdale, MD, Medical Director, Brenda Conaway, Editorial Director, and the A.D.A.M. Editorial team. Editorial update: 02/07/2024.
Gharavi AG, Landry DW. Approach to the patient with renal disease. In: Goldman L, Cooney KA, eds. Goldman-Cecil Medicine. 27th ed. Philadelphia, PA: Elsevier; 2024:chap 100.
Oh MS, Briefel G, Pincus MR. Evaluation of renal function, water, electrolytes, and acid-base balance. In: McPherson RA, Pincus MR, eds. Henry's Clinical Diagnosis and Management by Laboratory Methods. 24th ed. Philadelphia, PA: Elsevier; 2022:chap 15.