Creatinine Level 5 :Need Dialysis

Patient: My father has high creatinine of 4.5 and recently he vomited several times a day and now he is dehydrated and very weak. He has been admitted to hospital but creatinine seems to continue to become higher, it is now 5 now after 3 days in the hospital. He is diabetes patient for the last 10 years. The doctor want to put him on dialysis. I understand that dialysis can help reduce high creatinine levels, but I wonder whether it is too early for creatinine 5 to begin dialysis? Any useful informations are appreciated!

Nephrologist: normal creatinine range is 0.5-1.2 for adults and creatinine 5 is quite high. In clinic creatinine 5 is a critical value for guiding dialysis for renal failure patients. Usually when creatinine increases higher than 5 and it can not be controlled with drugs and diets, doctors will recommend patients to have good preparation in advance to begin dialysis. If the patient suffers from obvious symptoms and complications that cannot be controlled with medicines such as nausea, vomiting, it is necessary to begin dialysis to help discharge accumulation of metabolic wastes and toxins from the blood and save the patients from some critical conditions such as heart failure, respiratory failure, etc.

However if patients do not have obvious symptoms or if the current illness conditions can be well controlled with prescribed medicines and home nursing cares, there is no need to begin dialysis for creatinine 5.

Since your father is now dehydrated, it is necessary to avoid this because dehydration can cause and worsen high creatinine. Have proper supply of water and avoid caffeine-containing drinks such as alcohol, coffee, cola, etc.

Your father has 10 years diabetes and they might be the underlying cause of his high creatinine. Long term diabetes can damage the kidney functions and cause high creatinine, nausea, vomiting, fatigue and a series of health problems. Diabetes can also cause the patient to be dehydrated, therefore it is very important to lower your father’s blood glucose level so as to prevent further renal damages and prevent further elevation of creatinine levels.