Determine the significance and clinical use of measuring Creatinine Clearance in clinical practice
Creatinine Clearance – CrCl
Healthy kidneys remove creatinine from the blood. It then passes out of your body through urine. Creatinine is created in the body as a byproduct from normal wear and tear on muscles and protein in your diet.
Creatinine Clearance is a test that compares the level of creatinine in the blood against the level in the urine and evaluates Glomerular Filtration Rate. Hydration, blood volume status, blood pressure, and the state of the glomeruli impact GFR.
Remember that GFR is the amount of blood cleaned each minute by tiny filters in your kidneys called glomeruli.
An increase in CrCl indicates an increase in GFR.
The creatinine clearance test is done when your healthcare provider thinks that the eGFR result given with your blood creatinine level may not be accurate. This would be in patients who have diabetes, those with HF, those with kidney disease, and is sometimes evaluated in those with hypertension.
Normal – Creatinine clearance rates go down as you age
For every decade after age 40, a normal test result is 6.5 mL/min less than the numbers above.
Collection:
Increased Creatinine Clearance→ Increased GFR
The kidneys are solely responsible for removing Creatinine from the blood. If kidney function is declining, the creatinine level increases in the blood, but less creatinine is excreted into the urine.
Decreased Creatinine Clearance→ Decreased GFR
