Are there any instances when creatinine alone can be used to determine kidney function?
This is an important question.There is a difference between looking at creatinine in your bloodstream (called “serum creatinine”) and looking at creatinine in your urine (called “creatinine clearance”).These are two different lab tests.Serum creatinine is part of a routine lab report; creatinine clearance is not.
Creatinine clearance requires a timed urine sample.All the urine you have passed within a specific time period – usually 24-hours – is saved (collected) in a container and tested.The result shows how much creatinine has passed through your kidneys into your urine.It helps show how well your kidneys are removing the waste products from your blood.