Symptoms And Causes Of Low Creatinine
The signs and symptoms of low creatinine levels are usually associated with an underlying medical condition. They include:
Muscle diseases like muscular dystrophy can lead to symptoms like muscle weakness, stiffened muscles, pain, and reduced movement. Liver diseases or poor functioning of the liver can also interfere with the production of creatine, thereby causing low creatinine levels. This may lead to symptoms like jaundice, abdominal swelling and pain, swelling, and pale/tar-colored/bloody stool. Low creatinine levels can also be caused due to loss of water from your body (dehydration). This could either be due to an excess of water intake, pregnancy, or even due to certain medications.
As you already know, the breakdown of muscle tissues produces creatinine. Therefore, low levels of this chemical waste (creatinine) could be an indication of low muscle mass – a risk factor for low creatinine levels. Malnutrition and a low-protein or low-meat diet are some of the common causes of low muscle mass (3). To determine your creatinine levels, your doctor or healthcare provider may use multiple diagnostic tests.
Diagnosis
Wilson says, “Creatinine levels can be measured using a blood or urine test. “Low” creatinine in this context would be its concentration in relation to albumin, a protein in the blood. If albumin levels are high in relation to “low” creatinine levels, this is a symptom of kidney disease or diabetes.” One of the options to determine your creatinine levels is a serum creatinine test that can help measure the creatinine levels in your bloodstream. Another option is a creatinine urine test that will test your urine to determine your creatinine levels. Once the diagnostic test reveals your creatinine levels, your doctor will suggest a treatment plan. Low creatinine levels may need further diagnostic tests to rule out a muscular disease (if any). A muscle biopsy or a muscle enzyme test may be conducted to look for muscle damage. Once the cause of your low creatinine levels is determined, your doctor will discuss the treatment options available to treat your condition.
Medical Treatments
If you are found to have an underlying muscle disease, your treatment will be focused on combating the condition and alleviating its symptoms. Some of the options to treat muscle diseases include taking corticosteroids that can help in strengthening your muscles or therapy to improve the quality of your remaining life (4). Low creatinine levels that occur due to pregnancy are usually normalized after delivery. If your low creatinine levels are not due to an underlying muscle disease, medical intervention may not be necessary.
Other Treatment Options
If the low creatinine levels are not a result of muscle disease, your doctor may recommend a few ways that can help in increasing and strengthening your muscle mass to normalize your creatinine levels without medications. They may ask you to increase your level of physical activity or do strength training exercises regularly to increase your muscle mass.
Walking Swimming Aerobics Biking Weightlifting
If your doctor doubts that your low muscle mass is a result of malnutrition or extreme weight loss or dieting, you may be asked to modify your diet to rebuild the lost muscles. Listed below are some diet tips that can help increase your creatinine levels by increasing your muscle mass.
Diet For Low Creatinine Levels
Start by eating 5-6 small but healthy meals daily. Your diet must consist of protein-rich foods like lean meat, seafood, milk, cheese, yogurt, cottage cheese, and soy. Vegetarians are more likely to be protein-deficient that non-vegetarians. Hence, they should consume alternative sources of protein to make up for it. Avoid alcohol as it can accelerate muscle loss (5). You can also practice some muscle-building exercises to improve your muscle mass. Note: You may take supplements (like creatine monohydrate) to improve creatinine levels in your body. Good creatinine levels help enhance athletic performance, keep your muscles and bones healthy as your age, and improve brain health.
Exercises To Improve Low Muscle Mass
Some exercises that can help improve muscle mass are (6):
Lifting weights Squats Lunges Pull-ups Pulldowns Military press Seated dumbbell press Bench press Leg raises Weighted abdominal crunches
While some of these exercises, like squats and lunges, can be done right at home, you may need to go to a gym to do the others. Here are some tips that can help prevent muscle loss.
Prevention Tips
Follow a healthy diet that contains important nutrients, like vitamin D. Workout regularly. Get sufficient sleep. Don’t cut down on your carbohydrate intake. Limit your alcohol intake. Drink enough water to prevent dehydration.
What is the creatinine level for kidney failure? The normal serum creatinine levels are supposed to be 0.5-1.1 mg/dl in women, and 0.6-1.2 mg/dl in men. Creatinine levels higher than this could be an indication of kidney damage. Is a creatinine level of 1.2 bad? A serum creatinine level of 1.2 mg/dl is clinically insignificant. What is the best thing to drink for your kidneys? Water is one of the best drinks for promoting the health of your kidneys. Other drinks include fruit juices like cranberry juice and lemon juice that can help in detoxifying your kidneys and preventing the formation of kidney stones. What does low creatinine indicate? Low levels of creatinine may indicate muscle loss or an underlying medical condition like muscular dystrophy. Is egg good for creatinine? If you are concerned about your creatinine levels, avoid eating eggs because they are high in protein. Is chicken high in creatinine? Yes, chicken is a rich source of natural creatine.
