What are Creatinine & eGFR and How to Track Them?

TR: Kreatinin ve eGFR Nedir, Nasıl Takip Edilir?

1. What is Creatinine, eGFR & BUN (Kidney Function Panel)?

Creatinine is a natural breakdown product of muscle creatine phosphate filtered out of the blood by the kidneys. eGFR (Estimated Glomerular Filtration Rate) uses your Creatinine, age, and sex to estimate how many milliliters of blood your kidneys filter per minute.

Kreatinin, kaslardaki kreatin fosfatın doğal yıkım ürünüdür ve böbrekler tarafından kandan süzülerek atılır. eGFR (Tahmini Glomerüler Filtrasyon Hızı), kreatinin, yaş ve cinsiyetinizi kullanarak böbreklerin dakikada kaç mililitre kan süzdüğünü hesaplar.

2. Why Track Creatinine & eGFR?

• Monitors long-term renal microvascular health, blood pressure impact, and hydration status.
• High muscle mass, cooked meat intake, creatine monohydrate supplements, or morning dehydration can falsely raise serum Creatinine and make eGFR look lower than reality.
• Tracking Uric Acid and BUN alongside Creatinine provides a complete picture of renal metabolic load.

3. How to Track Creatinine & eGFR Accurately

• Drink 400–500 mL of plain water upon waking before your morning blood draw so dehydration does not skew Creatinine and BUN.
• Avoid heavy resistance training for 24–48 hours and pause Creatine supplements for 5–7 days if you want a pure baseline Creatinine check (or add Cystatin C).
• Track long-term eGFR trends across the same lab rather than reacting to minor single-test fluctuations.

4. How to Optimize Creatinine & eGFR

• Maintain consistent daily hydration (2.5–3.0 L water/day) and optimal blood pressure (< 120/80 mmHg).
• Minimize unnecessary chronic NSAID painkiller use (ibuprofen, naproxen), which constricts renal afferent arterioles.
• Keep HbA1c (< 5.3%) and Uric Acid (< 5.5 mg/dL) in optimal range to protect delicate nephron capillaries.

5. Frequently Asked Questions