Interpretation
In the United States, creatinine is typically reported in mg/dl, whereas, in Canada, Australia and a few European countries, μmol/litre may be used. One mg/dl of creatinine is 88.4 μmol/l.
The typical human reference ranges for serum creatinine are 0.5 to 1.0 mg/dl (about 45-90 μmol/l) for women and 0.7 to 1.2 mg/dl (60-110 μmol/L) for men. While a baseline serum creatinine of 2.0 mg/dl (150 μmol/l) may indicate normal kidney function in a male body builder, a serum creatinine of 1.2 mg/dl (110 μmol/l) can indicate significant renal disease in an elderly female.
The trend of serum creatinine levels over time is more important than absolute creatinine level.
Creatinine levels may increase when ACE inhibitors (ACEI) or angiotensin II receptor antagonists (or angiotensin receptor blockers, ARBs) are taken. Using both ACEI and ARB concomitantly will increase creatinine levels to a greater degree than either of the two drugs would individually. An increase of <30% is to be expected with ACEI or ARB use.
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