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Creatinine
Creatinine is a waste product in the blood created by the normal breakdown of muscle during activity. Healthy kidneys take creatinine out of the blood and put it in the urine to leave the body. When kidneys are not working well, creatinine builds up in the blood.
In the lab, your blood will be tested to see how many milligrams of creatinine are in one deciliter of blood (mg/dl). Creatinine levels in the blood can vary, and each laboratory has its own normal range. If your creatinine level is only slightly above this normal range, you probably will not feel sick, but the elevation is a sign that your kidneys are not working at full strength.
Do not confuse your serum creatinine number with your creatinine clearance number.
Creatinine Clearance
A creatinine clearance test shows how fast your kidneys remove creatinine from the blood. Clearance is measured in milliliters per minute (ml/min).