Does Serum Creatinine 1.8 Need Dialysis

Generally speaking, the normal value of serum creatinine is 0.7-1.2mg/dl for men and 0.5-1.2mg/dl for women and increased serum creatinine level indicates substantial kidney damages if physiological and transient factors can be ruled out.

Kidney has the functions of discharging metabolic products and maintaining orders and balances in the body. In case of kidney diseases, the renal cells and tissues will be damaged and its functions will be affected. Thus, the wastes and toxins can not be cleared outside and they will accumulate in the body and manifest as increase of many indicators such as serum creatinine, urea nitrogen and at the same time patients will have a series of symptoms and complications such as edema, hypertension, proteinuria, hematuria, etc.

Serum creatinine is a reliable indicator of kidney functions and too high creatinine indicates severe renal damages and dialysis is needed or it might be life-threatening. However at what creatinine level should dialysis is required and does creatinine level of 1.8 need take dialysis?

Actually weather patients need to take dialysis or not should not rely on creatinine level only. There are many factors that need to be taken into account, but generally speaking, creatinine level of 1.8 does not require dialysis for most patients. One thing needs to be remembered that dialysis is not treatment at all and it just acts as a machine to substitute the functions of necrotic kidneys to discharge creatinine and other wastes out of the body.

Long term dialysis will cause gradual loss of residual kidney functions or even complete necrosis. With the gradual decline of kidney functions, the dialysis will become more and more frequent and in the end patients will have no choice but kidney transplant. That is why dialysis is not suggested in the early stage of kidney disease because the renal damages are still reversible and renal functions can still be recovered with effective and timely treatments.