One of the most important tests for patients with PKD is the examination of
creatinine, for creatinine can help doctors to measure the level of renal
function. Thereby many patients care about how to reduce the level of
creatinine.
What is creatinine?
Creatinine is a chemical waste product of muscle contractions and should have
been filtered by and discharged through the urine. Generally creatinine levels
in the blood remain unchanged from day to day because muscle mass usually stays
the same. So in the normal condition men have approximately 0.6 to 1.2
milligrams/deciliters (mg/dL) of creatinine, whereas women have between 0.5 to
1.1 mg/dL of creatinine.
Why does the creatinine rise in patients with PKD?
Kidney is an organ which mainly filters the wastes from blood and eliminates
them through urine. But in the patients with PKD, ceaseless enlargement of cysts
oppresses the renal tissue, resulting in the damage of kidney. Kidney’s
filtering ability is deficient and creatinine is piled up in the blood, causing
the rise of creatinine blood level which is used to help doctors to calculate a
person's creatinine clearance and measure the renal damage. The routine blood
test can present the creatinine levels of patients which are evidences to
diagnose whether the kidney is destructed.
How to reduce the level of creatinine?
Follow a low-protein diet. Protein is an essential nutrient to your health,
but if you have kidney complications or need to reduce your creatinine intake,
limit poultry, red meat, fish and eggs. Consult your physician for adequate
protein servings per week based on your health needs.
For the creatinine is produced by the muscle, patients should avoid strenuous
physical activity, thereby decreasing the level of creatinine.
Consider beginning dialysis. If the creatinine levels cannot be controlled
through diet or medication, doctors may conclude that the kidneys are failing,
and the patient should begin dialysis.
Although the attentions above may play part to reduce the blood creatinine
temporarily, the underlying disease cannot be treated from the root. As long as
the cysts are growing, the creatinine would rise again. Thereby the patients
with PKD should choose the treatment to stop the growth of renal cyst. Any help,
please contact kidney-treatment@hotmail.com.
