Skip Navigation



The Journals of Gerontology Series A: Biological Sciences and Medical Sciences Advance Access published online on January 30, 2009
The Journals of Gerontology Series A: Biological Sciences and Medical Sciences, doi:10.1093/gerona/gln037
This Article
Right arrow Full Text
Right arrow Full Text (PDF)
Right arrow All Versions of this Article:
64A/3/370    most recent
gln037v1
Right arrow Alert me when this article is cited
Right arrow Alert me if a correction is posted
Services
Right arrow Email this article to a friend
Right arrow Similar articles in this journal
Right arrow Similar articles in PubMed
Right arrow Alert me to new issues of the journal
Right arrow Add to My Personal Archive
Right arrow Download to citation manager
Right arrowRequest Permissions
Google Scholar
Right arrow Articles by Odden, M. C.
Right arrow Articles by Tager, I. B.
Right arrow Search for Related Content
PubMed
Right arrow PubMed Citation
Right arrow Articles by Odden, M. C.
Right arrow Articles by Tager, I. B.
Social Bookmarking
Add to CiteULike   Add to Connotea   Add to Del.icio.us  
What's this?

Published by Oxford University Press on behalf of The Gerontological Society of America 2009.

Serum Creatinine and Functional Limitation in Elderly Persons

Michelle C. Odden1,2, Michael G. Shlipak2,3 and Ira B. Tager1

1 Department of Epidemiology, School of Public Health, University of California, Berkeley
2 Department of General Internal Medicine, San Francisco VA Medical Center, California
3 Departments of Medicine, Epidemiology, and Biostatistics, University of California, San Francisco

Address correspondence to Michelle C. Odden, MS, Department of General Internal Medicine, San Francisco VA Medical Center, 4150 Clement St (111A1), San Francisco, CA 94121. Email: michelleodden{at}berkeley.edu


  Abstract

Background.: Creatinine is a commonly used measure of kidney function, but serum levels are also influenced by muscle mass. We hypothesized that higher serum creatinine would be associated with self-reported functional limitation in community-dwelling elderly.

Methods.: Subjects (n = 1,553) were participants in the Study of Physical Performance and Age-Related Changes in Sonomans, a cohort to study aging and physical function. We explored three strategies to account for the effects of muscle mass on serum creatinine.

Results.: We observed a J-shaped association of creatinine with functional limitation. Above the study-specific mean creatinine (0.97 mg/dL in women and 1.15 mg/dL in men), the unadjusted odds ratio of functional limitation per standard deviation (0.20 mg/dL in women and 0.23 mg/dL in men) higher creatinine was 2.27 (95% confidence interval [CI] 1.75–2.94, p < .001) in women and 1.42 (95% CI 1.12–1.80, p = .003) in men. This association was inverted in persons with creatinine levels below the mean. Adjustment for muscle mass did not have an important effect on the association between creatinine and functional limitation. These associations remained after multivariable adjustment for demographics and health conditions but were statistically significant only in women.

Conclusions.: In elderly adults, higher creatinine levels are associated with functional limitation, consistent with prior literature that has demonstrated reduced physical performance in persons with kidney disease. However, the association of low creatinine levels with functional limitation suggests that creatinine levels are influenced by factors other than kidney function and muscle mass in the elderly.

Keywords Aging; Creatinine; Kidney disease; Mobility limiation

Received: January 14, 2008; Accepted: September 14, 2008

Decision Editor: Luigi Ferrucci, MD, PhD


Add to CiteULike CiteULike   Add to Connotea Connotea   Add to Del.icio.us Del.icio.us    What's this?




Disclaimer: Please note that abstracts for content published before 1996 were created through digital scanning and may therefore not exactly replicate the text of the original print issues. All efforts have been made to ensure accuracy, but the Publisher will not be held responsible for any remaining inaccuracies. If you require any further clarification, please contact our Customer Services Department.