Editing Creatinine (section)

==Interpretation==
In the United States and in most European countries creatinine is usually reported in [[Milli-|m]][[Gram|g]]/[[Deci-|d]][[Litre|L]], whereas in Canada, Australia,<ref>{{cite journal | vauthors = Faull R |title=Prescribing in renal disease |journal=Australian Prescriber |volume=30 |issue=1 |pages=17–20 |year=2007 |doi=10.18773/austprescr.2007.008|doi-access=free }}</ref> and a few European countries, such as the UK, [[Micro-|μ]][[Mole (unit)|mol]]/[[Litre|L]] is the usual unit. One&nbsp;mg/dL of creatinine equals 88.4&nbsp;μmol/L.

The typical human [[Reference ranges for blood tests|reference range]]s for serum creatinine are 0.5&nbsp;mg/dL to 1.0&nbsp;mg/dL (about 45&nbsp;μmol/L to 90&nbsp;μmol/L) for women and 0.7&nbsp;mg/dL to 1.2&nbsp;mg/dL (60&nbsp;μmol/L to 110&nbsp;μmol/L) for men. The significance of a single creatinine value must be interpreted in light of the patient's muscle mass.  Patients with greater muscle mass have higher creatinine concentrations.<ref>{{Cite journal |last=Liu |first=C |last2=Levey |first2=AS |last3=Ballew |first3=SH |date=2024 |title=Serum creatinine and serum cystatin C as an index of muscle mass in adults |journal=Curr Opin Nephrol Hypertens |volume=33 |issue=6 |pages=557-65 |via=PubMed}}</ref>

[[File:Blood values sorted by mass and molar concentration.png|thumb|550px|center|[[Reference ranges for blood tests]], comparing blood content of creatinine (shown in [[Chartreuse (color)#Apple green|apple green]]) with other constituents]]

The trend of serum creatinine concentrations over time is more important than the absolute creatinine concentration.

Serum creatinine concentrations may increase when an [[ACE inhibitor]] (ACEI) is taken for [[heart failure]] and [[chronic kidney disease]]. ACE inhibitors provide survival benefits for patients with heart failure and slow disease progression in patients with chronic kidney disease. An increase not exceeding 30% is to be expected with use of an ACE inhibitor. Therefore, an ACE inhibitor should not be withdrawn when the serum creatinine increases, unless the increase exceeds 30% or [[hyperkalemia]] develops.<ref>{{cite journal | vauthors = Ahmed A | title = Use of angiotensin-converting enzyme inhibitors in patients with heart failure and renal insufficiency: how concerned should we be by the rise in serum creatinine? | journal = Journal of the American Geriatrics Society | volume = 50 | issue = 7 | pages = 1297–300 | date = July 2002 | pmid = 12133029 | doi = 10.1046/j.1532-5415.2002.50321.x | s2cid = 31459410 }}</ref>