Prostate cancer and all of a sudden a low GFR

[Olivia007]

Hello my dad has had prostrate cancer since 2014 with bone Mets anyways we were going to get a bone scan and a CT scan to see how he was doing but before that we needed to get his bun levels checked out before those test and we did that the bun levels came back slightly elevated so we can’t do those tests now the doctor suggest we do the pet scan instead my question is what would cause for my 82-year-old dad to have a low GFR and high bun and creatine levels

This came to a surprise because he does get tested monthly and his GFR and all the other levels were normal so I’m just getting worried that his kidneys may be going bad

[LearnAll]

BUN and Creatinine levels increase indicate kidney injury. First thing is to rule out if he is taking any medicine which is known to cause damage to kidneys. Second thing to make sure that he does not have any urinary tract infection. Urinalysis and urine culture can settle the issue of UTI/Glomerulonephritis/peyelonephritis etc.

If change in levels of BUN and Cr are sudden, the cause is more likely to be non cancer related because cancer related kidney damage is usually slow and gradually cause chronic kidney disease in years. GFR fluctuates widely..when I had active urinary infection, my e GFR went down to 70 and now its back to 92 after antibiotic treatment.

Your doctor might proceed on lines of ruling out transient causes of high BUN and Creatinine.

[tango65]

If last month GFR was normal, he is not sick, his medications have not changed, he could have been dehydrated when they took his blood. Consider repeating the test and be sure he has been taking plenty of fluids.

[j-o-h-n]

What is the normal GFR?

In adults, the normal GFR number is 90 or higher. Having a GFR between 60 and 89 may be normal for some people, including those over age 60. GFR tends to decline as we age even in people without kidney disease. These people may need to have GFR checked more often in the future.

Good Luck, Good Health and Good Humor.

j-o-h-n Thursday 02/20/2020 5:49 PM EST