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Low creatinine levels can be caused by chronic conditions, loss of muscle mass, low protein diet, pregnancy, and advanced liver disease. Doctors may order additional tests to determine the underlying condition and appropriate treatment.
Causes of low creatinine levels include chronic conditions that lead to a drop in creatinine production along with a decline in muscle mass. Low creatinine levels aren’t necessarily a cause for concern, although if the cause isn’t immediately obvious, a doctor may order some additional medical tests to find out why your levels are low. This test will be used to determine if a patient has an underlying condition that needs to be treated.
One of the most common causes is loss of muscle mass. This can occur naturally with aging, leading to lower levels of creatinine in older adults. It can also be associated with wasting diseases, sudden weight loss, myasthenia gravis, muscular dystrophy, and bed-bound injuries. Any condition that leads to a decline in muscle mass can lead to low creatinine levels.
Another reason can be a low protein diet. Creatinine is made through the processing of protein, and if a patient is eating unusually low levels of protein, the body will make less creatinine. Pregnancy is also associated with low creatinine levels due to redirection of nutrients to the baby. Even when a woman eats a balanced diet with another feed for two, the levels of some nutrients in the blood can be distorted because the developing fetus has such high energy and nutritional needs.
Advanced liver disease is also associated with low creatinine levels. Liver disease is usually known when low creatinine levels are seen, but falling creatinine levels can be an indicator that the disease is getting worse or that the liver is under stress. A doctor may order a liver enzyme panel, an ultrasound examination of the liver, and other tests designed to evaluate liver function. These tests may show that the treatment approach needs to be changed or that the patient needs a liver transplant.
Creatinine levels are determined with a blood test and laboratory analysis. Lab technicians usually provide normal range references with lab results so that results can be easily read and interpreted. If a doctor notices that the creatinine levels are low, the patient’s medical record will be consulted for any obvious explanations. If nothing in the patient’s history explains the low levels, the doctor may ask the patient to consent to follow-up testing in order to learn more about why the patient’s creatinine levels are dropping.
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