Creatinine Screening for Chronic Kidney Disease
Chronic Kidney Disease (CKD) occurs when the kidneys become damaged and are no longer able to properly filter waste and excess water out of the blood through the urine. Measuring blood creatinine, a waste which comes from your muscles, is a good indicator of overall kidney health.
Life Line Screening offers a creatinine screening to assess how well your kidneys are functioning. This simple finger-stick test, using an FDA-approved device adopted by more than 250 hospitals nationwide, measures blood creatinine levels. The test does not require fasting and results are generated in less than a minute.
What you can learn
Life Line Screening’s creatinine screening is a simple way for you to learn if you have, or are at risk, for kidney disease. Healthy kidneys maintain creatinine levels in a normal range. If the kidneys become damaged for any reason, the creatinine level in the blood will rise due to poor filtration by the kidneys.
- The higher the creatinine level, the more damage there may be to the kidneys. A level greater than 1.50 mg/dl for men and 1.10 mg/dl for women is abnormal and may indicate kidney disease.
Physicians use your creatinine blood test result along with your age, gender and race to calculate your GFR (glomerular filtration rate), which is the best measure for how much kidney function you have.
- The lower your GFR, the more damage there may be to the kidneys. A GFR less than 60 ml/min is considered abnormal and may indicate kidney disease.
Testing is important because you can have the disease and not know it. There are often little to no early warning signs or symptoms. The sooner you are diagnosed, the sooner you can seek medical treatment. If your results show that kidney damage is suspected, we will recommend you see your primary care physician to fully evaluate your risk for chronic kidney disease.
Who should get a creatinine-kidney disease screening
People with diabetes and pre-diabetes as well as those with high blood pressure or pre-hypertension (borderline high blood pressure) should have a creatinine screening for chronic kidney disease (CKD). Other at risk groups include people 60 years and older, those with a family history of kidney disease, and certain ethnic groups, including African Americans, Hispanics, Asians, American Indians and Pacific Islanders.
How often to get a creatinine-kidney disease screening
The National Kidney Disease Education Program* suggests the following screening guidelines:
- For people with diabetes, once per year
- For people newly diagnosed with high blood pressure; if hypertension is properly controlled by medication and in normal range, every 3 years
- For people with a family history of kidney failure, every 3 years as long as test results remain normal.
- For people in high risk populations, less frequently, as long as test results remain normal.
*Recommended guidelines only. Consult with your physician.
How to prepare
No fasting is required in preparation for the test.