Why Is My Urea Level Low?

Update Date: 2024-05-24 Source: Network

During disease screenings, changes in the numerical values of many test items can indicate the type of disease and the specific condition of bodily organs. If a reduced urea value is observed during the screening process, doctors will consider whether the patient has liver disease, as this substance primarily exists in the liver. Only when the liver is diseased will a reduced urea value occur.

1. Poor renal function can lead to low urea and creatinine levels. What causes low creatinine and urea? Creatinine is a commonly used indicator for detecting renal function and is also a necessary item for health screenings. Many individuals undergoing screenings assume that their renal function is completely normal when their blood creatinine levels fall within the normal range. However, this is a misunderstanding about blood creatinine. Blood creatinine levels cannot accurately reflect the condition of renal function in a timely manner. When a significant portion of the human kidney suffers pathological damage, resulting in a significant decrease in glomerular filtration rate (exceeding 50%), an increase in blood creatinine levels may become clinically apparent.

2. Pre-renal factors may cause low urea and creatinine levels. If both urea nitrogen and creatinine levels are elevated, but the urea nitrogen/creatinine ratio is low, this suggests a possible renal parenchymal injury. The normal range for the urea nitrogen/creatinine ratio is 20.00-100.00. Its significance primarily lies in distinguishing between renal and pre-renal (extrarenal) causes when elevations in urea nitrogen or creatinine levels are observed. If the urea nitrogen/creatinine ratio is less than 20, there is a higher chance of kidney disease. Conversely, if the ratio is greater than 20, there is a higher chance of pre-renal causes. There are numerous reasons for low creatinine levels, and the numerical value of urea nitrogen is easily influenced by many other factors. Therefore, it cannot solely reflect kidney function. After understanding the reasons for low blood creatinine levels, we also recognize that creatinine values are relatively straightforward in the absence of muscle disease and can rise and fall in sync with kidney function. Therefore, when there is pathology in the kidneys themselves, urea nitrogen and creatinine levels rise synchronously, resulting in a urea nitrogen/creatinine ratio that falls within a certain numerical range (less than 20). In cases of pre-renal factors, urea nitrogen often rises more significantly, leading to a higher urea nitrogen/creatinine ratio (greater than 20).

3. There are many other reasons that can lead to low urea and creatinine levels. Generally, as the amount of muscle in the human body is relatively stable, the production of creatinine is also constant. The level of blood creatinine primarily depends on the amount of creatinine excreted by the kidneys. The compensatory function of the kidneys is very powerful. If both kidneys are normal, then as long as one kidney functions, blood creatinine can be maintained at a normal level. In other words, blood creatinine levels will only rise when the degree of kidney damage accounts for more than half of the entire kidney. There are many potential reasons for low creatinine levels, which may be related to conditions such as anemia, muscle malnutrition, muscle atrophy, leukemia, and diabetes insipidus.