What Does Increased Creatinine Mean in Type 1 Diabetes

Type 1 diabetes is commonly seen among children and young adults. Compared with type 2, type 1 diabetics usually have a longer disease history. The patients with a long history of type 1 diabetes may suffer from increased creatinine. What does increased creatinine imply in type 1 diabetes?

Creatinine is the byproduct of muscle metabolism and it is often filtered out of body by kidneys. The normal creatinine level is between 0.6-1.3. When kidneys fail to function adequately, high levels of creatinine will build up in blood. Increased creatinine in type 1 diabetes is associated with kidney damage and renal function decline.

How does type 1 diabetes cause kidney disease? In the kidneys, millions of tiny blood vessels with even tinier holes in them act as filters. As blood flows through the blood vessels, small molecules squeeze through the holes and will be filtered out of body in the form of urine. Useful substances, such as protein and red blood cells, are too big to pass through the holes in the filter and stay in the blood.

In type 1 Diabetes, however, high levels of blood glucose can make the kidneys filter too much blood. The extra work can make the filters exhausting over time. When the filters become impaired, the diseased kidneys fail to perform properly and can not eliminate waste products from body normally. Hence, high creatinine level will result in type 1 diabetes.

Because of the powerful compensatory capacity of kidneys, creatinine level does not increase until renal function becomes halved. If increased creatinine occurs in type 1 diabetes, it is important for people to seek for an aggressive treatment.