creatinine levels

[Leo71]

My husband's latest renal function test shows his creatine levels are now below the normal range. Is this significant? Is there anything he could or should do? I have read that camomile tea can reduce elevated levels of creatine; as he drinks that several times a day, should he reduce his intake?

[cujoe]

Ms Leo71 - Questions that come to mind are:

1. What is his age? (BMI, while very imperfect, would also be helpful in determining a possible cause.)

2. What is his current level of fitness ~ muscle mass + daily activity level? (Again, the imperfect BMI is helpful.)

3. What sort of diet does he normally consume - and how much ~ caloric intake/ day?

4. What are his ALP, ALT, and eGFR lab results?

Age and meds can also affect ceatinine levels. (with age it declines, with meds, it could go up or down - depending)

And, Yes, camomile tea is purported to reduce creatinine levels, so his several cups daily "may" be contributing to a low lab reading. FWIW, I often drink a cup of camomile tea at night and see no correlation to creatinine levels. (Supplementing with creatine is a "horse of another color".)

Lab trends are more significant than a single lab. So, the more important thing to look for is a downward trend over the last several lab intervals.

Good luck & good health to both you and Leo,

Ciao - cujoe

[Leo71 in reply to cujoe]

Thank you for taking the time to reply. It doesn't seem as if it is too concerning at this stage but we'll see if there is a trend or this is a one-off. He had flu and covid vaccinations a week earlier so maybe that made a difference. He is 70+ and not at all active so I don't think there is much muscle mass. He does at least have a healthy diet.

[Graham2222]

The one time I had a low creatinine level it was because I hadn’t drunk enough water before my blood test. I was re-tested and it was fine.

[Leo71 in reply to Graham2222]

Thank you - we'll see how things go.

[Unglorious in reply to Graham2222]

Hi I had the result when I did not drink enough water before my blood test.

[LeoPa]

More red meat consumption coupled with being more muscular usually means higher creatinine levels. That is my experience. I'm constantly somewhat over the higher end of the range.

[Unglorious]

Same result as Graham2222, Not drinking enough water before blood test.

[Skyshark in reply to Unglorious]

They can tell, I was told off on Tuesday.