Posted , 11 users are following.
My labs came back from my endocrinologist and my eGFR was low and my creatinine was high. I suspect the reading is off due to prednisone. Has anyone had this experience? I have been on prednisone for 1 yr. & 9 months.
0 likes, 4 replies
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constance.de bjmoen
Posted
Afraid it does!😡 It is one of the main side effects of pred.
EileenH bjmoen
Posted
Or you had eaten a steak the night before and the blood was taken fasting so you may have been dehydrated and not clearing the protein as fast as if you weren't. Those factors alone are enough to skew the figure and it is not really very likely to be the pred overall.
Creatinine is a breakdown product of protein - so a big amount of protein the day before still has an effect on the level in the blood. The eGFR is not a real measurement, it is calculated from the creatinine level inserted in an equation. It was developed to see if it was possible to screen the general population for renal disease without doing the more exhaustive tests which involve collecting uine for 24 hours. The experts were horrified when they discovered that non-experts would be seeing the figures on the blood test results and tried to get it left off! Many patients have been scared to death by their practice nurse or GP telling them they have kidney disease - when they don't.
If the eGFR is low over 3 consecutive readings then the GP should do a couple of other tests - but that happens very rarely. So I wouldn't worry yet...
MrsO-UK_Surrey bjmoen
Posted
bjmoen, I wouldn't have thought your reduced eGFR/raised creatinine was as a direct result of taking Prednisone. If creatinine is raised it is a given that the eGFR will be lower. I have a sole kidney and do have chronic kidney disease but it wasn't affected by my years on steroids. In fact, steroids are often prescribed for people with certain kidney problems. It could be a one off caused by a silent UTI etc but, hopefully your Dr has arranged to monitor you with a repeat blood test in the next few weeks as confirmation. Meanwhile, drink plenty of water and avoid salt and a high protein intake, especially red meat. Good luck!
ptolemy bjmoen
Posted