Is a creatinine level of 115 indicative of kidney disease or not?

Hello Bạch Huệ,

We would like to clarify your questions about what the creatinine level is. The creatinine test measures how well your kidneys are performing their job of filtering waste from your blood.

1. What does a creatinine level of 115 mean?

Creatinine is a chemical compound that remains after energy production in your muscles. Healthy kidneys filter creatinine out of the blood, and it is then excreted from the body as waste through urine. Measuring creatinine levels in the blood provides clues for doctors to assess how well your kidneys are functioning.

Normally, creatinine is filtered out of the blood at a consistent rate, so the level of creatinine in your blood should be relatively stable. An increase in blood creatinine levels indicates that kidney function is impaired and that the ability to filter creatinine has decreased. An elevated creatinine level may signal poor kidney function.

Blood creatinine levels are measured in mg/dL or micromol/L. Your creatinine level of 115 is measured in micromol/L, indicating that the concentration of creatinine in your blood is currently 115 micromol/L.

2. Is a creatinine level of 115 low or high? Is it indicative of kidney disease?

Normal blood creatinine levels are as follows:

• Healthy females: 44 - 97 micromol/L
• Healthy males: 53 - 106 micromol/L
• Adolescents: 44 - 88.4 micromol/L
• Children: 26.52 - 61.88 micromol/L
• Infants: 26.52 - 106.08 micromol/L

So, is a creatinine level of 115 micromol/L low or high? Your creatinine level of 115 micromol/L is higher than the normal range. Creatinine levels increase with the severity of kidney disease.

Clinically, doctors often use another, more individualized measure to assess kidney condition and function, based on blood creatinine levels along with the patient's age, gender, and ethnicity to calculate the Glomerular Filtration Rate (GFR).

GFR indicates the amount of blood filtered by the kidneys per unit time (per minute). Based on the information you provided — female, 38 years old, and a blood creatinine level of 115 micromol/L — your GFR is calculated to be 69.16 mL/min/1.73m² (above the threshold of 60 mL/min/1.73m²), indicating that your kidney function is only mildly reduced and does not yet reach a dangerous level.

However, there may still be kidney damage or a risk of kidney disease. Therefore, with this result, you should not be complacent; ongoing monitoring of your health is essential.

3. What creatinine level indicates severe kidney disease?

Creatinine levels can give a rough assessment of the severity of kidney disease:

• Below 130 micromol/L – Stage I kidney disease
• 130 – 299 micromol/L – Stage II kidney disease
• 300 – 499 micromol/L – Stage IIIa kidney disease
• 500 – 899 micromol/L – Stage IIIb kidney disease
• Above 900 micromol/L – Stage IV kidney disease

Chronic kidney disease progresses through five stages with increasing severity. When creatinine levels reach stage IIIb, patients should consider starting dialysis.

Thus, your creatinine level of 115 indicates a higher-than-normal level and may be an early sign of kidney disease. Early kidney disease often progresses silently, making it difficult to detect. With this result, you should not be complacent and need to continue regular health monitoring.

Many other patients only begin to notice symptoms such as fatigue, decreased immunity, imbalances, and the accumulation of toxins and water leading to swelling, high blood pressure, and poor appetite when kidney disease reaches a severe stage. This is often when the disease is detected. Therefore, testing for blood creatinine levels or general blood tests is crucial to screening for diseases from very early stages, allowing for timely treatment plans.

Thank you for your question. If you have any further inquiries, please contact us directly for prompt assistance from Dripcare's team of doctors and specialists.