Skip to main page content
U.S. flag

An official website of the United States government

Dot gov

The .gov means it’s official.
Federal government websites often end in .gov or .mil. Before sharing sensitive information, make sure you’re on a federal government site.

Https

The site is secure.
The https:// ensures that you are connecting to the official website and that any information you provide is encrypted and transmitted securely.

Access keys NCBI Homepage MyNCBI Homepage Main Content Main Navigation
Case Reports
. 2012 Spring;16(2):51-2.
doi: 10.7812/tpp/11-121.

False estimates of elevated creatinine

Affiliations
Case Reports

False estimates of elevated creatinine

Manpreet Samra et al. Perm J. 2012 Spring.

Abstract

One of the most common reasons for a nephrology consult is an elevated creatinine. An elevation in the serum creatinine concentration usually reflects a reduction in the glomerular filtration rate (GFR). Given the association of elevated creatinine and risk of cardiovascular mortality, it is important to keep in mind that at times the elevation of the creatinine is not representative of a true reduction in GFR. There are various causes of factitious elevation of creatinine. They can be broadly grouped into increased production of creatinine, interference with the assay and decreased tubular secretion of creatinine.

PubMed Disclaimer

References

    1. Shemesh O, Golbetz H, Kriss JP, Myers BD. Limitations of creatinine as a filtration marker in glomerulopathic patients. Kidney Int. 1985 Nov;28(5):830–8. - PubMed
    1. Hamilton RW, Gardner LB, Penn AS, Goldberg M. Acute tubular necrosis caused by exercise-induced myoglobinuria. Ann Intern Med. 1972 Jul;77(1):77–82. - PubMed
    1. Oh MS. Does serum creatinine rise faster in rhabdomyolysis? Nephron. 1993;63(3):255–7. - PubMed
    1. Molitch ME, Rodman E, Hirsch CA, Dubinsky E. Spurious serum creatinine elevations in ketoacidosis. Ann Intern Med. 1980 Aug;93(2):280–1. - PubMed
    1. Saah AJ, Koch TR, Drusano GL. Cefoxitin falsely elevates creatinine levels. JAMA. 1982 Jan 8;247(2):205–6. - PubMed

Publication types