renal clearance
Quick Summary
Renal clearance is a medical test used to assess kidney function, specifically how well the glomeruli filter blood. The glomeruli are clusters of blood vessels within the kidney responsible for primary filtration.1
The test measures the rate at which a substance is cleared from the blood plasma and excreted in urine. A common substance used is creatinine, a waste product of muscle metabolism. By measuring creatinine levels in both blood and urine, doctors can estimate the glomerular filtration rate (GFR).21
Normal creatinine clearance values vary by age and sex, with typical ranges for adult men between 97–137 ml/min and for women 88–128 ml/min. A low clearance value can indicate kidney problems like glomerulonephritis or kidney infection. While inulin clearance is considered more accurate, creatinine clearance is more practical for clinical use.12
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