That headline is misleading. High creatinine itself usually doesn’t cause symptoms; it is a blood-test marker that may indicate reduced kidney filtration. Early chronic kidney disease can have no symptoms at all. (MedlinePlus)
If you’re looking for the 12 symptoms that can occur when kidney function has significantly worsened, they include:
- Fatigue or weakness
- Swelling of the feet, ankles, hands, or face
- Changes in urination—more, less, or little/no urine
- Foamy urine
- Blood in the urine
- Itching or dry skin
- Loss of appetite
- Nausea or vomiting
- Weight loss
- Muscle cramps or weakness
- Trouble sleeping
- Difficulty concentrating, confusion, or memory problems (MedlinePlus)
Important: These symptoms aren’t specific to high creatinine and can have many other causes. A single elevated creatinine result also doesn’t establish the cause of kidney dysfunction. Doctors generally interpret creatinine alongside eGFR, urine albumin/protein testing, medical history, and sometimes repeat testing. (MedlinePlus)
If you give me your creatinine value, eGFR, age, and whether the result is in mg/dL or µmol/L, I can explain what the result generally means.
