Educational information only. At Precursor, blood testing is requested and reviewed by a clinician and considered alongside your history and other markers, not as a stand-alone diagnosis. Testing is performed in NATA-accredited laboratories to ISO 15189 standards.

What is creatinine?

Creatinine is a waste product made by your muscles as they use energy, and it is cleared from the blood by the kidneys. Because production is fairly steady and removal depends on kidney filtering, the amount in your blood is one of the most widely used indicators of how well the kidneys are working.

Why it matters

Creatinine is the foundation of routine kidney assessment. It feeds directly into the eGFR calculation that estimates your filtration rate, making it a cornerstone marker for kidney health that also informs safe dosing of many medications.

What your results can mean

Higher than optimal

A raised creatinine can suggest the kidneys are filtering less effectively, though it is also influenced by muscle mass, hydration and protein intake. It is interpreted alongside eGFR and your overall context.

Within the healthy range

A creatinine in range, with a normal eGFR, is reassuring for kidney filtering.

Reference ranges in Australia

Creatinine is reported in micromoles per litre (µmol/L), with reference ranges that differ between men and women, partly due to muscle mass. Read your result against the range on your own report and alongside your eGFR.

Test your kidney health with Precursor

Creatinine is most meaningful alongside eGFR and electrolytes. At Precursor it is measured as part of Full Advanced Bloods, a single clinician-reviewed blood draw covering your kidney, heart, metabolic, hormonal, liver, thyroid and nutrient markers together, giving you and your clinician a broad baseline to understand and track.