Medical News Today has strict sourcing guidelines and draws only from peer-reviewed studies, academic research institutions, and medical journals and associations. Certain medicationsĪntibiotics, such as trimethoprim, and H2 blockers, such as cimetidine, can cause a temporary increase in measured serum creatinine levels.Ī 2020 retrospective study found that even low levels of trimethoprim can increase blood serum levels in patients following a kidney transplant. Both dehydration and muscle breakdown from exercise may cause an increase in blood creatinine levels. Intense exerciseĬreatinine is present in the muscles and helps them produce energy. However, long-term studies have shown that high protein diets do not significantly impact blood creatinine levels over a 2-year period. What a person eats can affect creatinine levels.įor example, proteins and cooked meat contain creatinine, so eating more than the recommended amount of meat or other proteins for a person’s activity levels can cause high creatinine levels after eating. Obstructions affecting both kidneys can raise a person’s blood creatinine levels. The medical term for this condition is hydronephrosis. This blockage can create a backup of urine into the kidney and impair the kidney’s ability to function correctly.

Kidney obstructionĪ blockage in urine flow, such as an enlarged prostate or kidney stone, could cause kidney obstruction. A GFR level of 15 or less indicates kidney failure. When kidneys are damaged, they have trouble removing creatinine from the blood, and levels rise.ĭoctors use the creatinine blood test result to calculate glomerular filtration rate (GFR), a more specific measure to indicate chronic kidney disease.ĭoctors consider a GFR of 60 or over to be normal, while a GFR of less than 60 may indicate kidney disease. Some of the causes of high creatinine levels are: Chronic kidney disease

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