A 40-year-old member asked:
What does an elevated bun/creatinine ratio mean?
1 doctor answer • 4 doctors weighed in

Dr. Peter Kurzweilanswered
Internal Medicine 51 years experience
Decrease in flow.: Bun=blood urea nitrogen, byproduct of proteins ingested, if rise to high levels due to kidney problem, can cause toxic affects on the body.
Creatinine= measurement of renal function. Normal bun/cr ratio about 10. The higher that ratio, the more likely it is not intrinsic kidney disease per se, but reduction in blood flow or volume to kidney, like when on strong diuretic-prerenal-reversible.
5.8k viewsReviewed >2 years ago

Dr. Ed Friedlander commented
Pathology 45 years experience
Dr. Kurzwell is correct. And just eating some extra protein, like a nice steak dinner, will raise your BUN/creatinine ratio. This is one more reason not to get all worked up over your labs -- they're there if you're sick, but most minor variations are of no importance if you feel well.
May 15, 2014
Similar questions
A 42-year-old member asked:
What causes elevated bun/creatinine ratio?
3 doctor answers • 5 doctors weighed in

Dr. Peter Kurzweilanswered
Internal Medicine 51 years experience
Decrease in flow.: Bun=blood urea nitrogen, byproduct of proteins ingested, if rise to high levels due to kidney problem, can cause toxic affects on the body.
Creatinine= measurement of renal function. Normal bun/cr ratio about 10. The higher that ratio, the more likely it is not intrinsic kidney disease per se, but reduction in blood flow or volume to kidney, like when on strong diuretic-prerenal-reversible.
5.8k viewsReviewed >2 years ago
A 43-year-old member asked:
What does bun/creatinine ratio of 29 mean?
1 doctor answer • 1 doctor weighed in

Dr. James Cainanswered
Nephrology and Dialysis 37 years experience
depends: The 'normal' ratio is 10:1, this will increase if you become volume depleted. Steroids, high protein diet , gastrointestinal bleeding and renal failure can raise the ratio.
4.8k viewsAnswered >2 years ago
A 30-year-old member asked:
Bun/creatinine ratio 23 what does this mean?
1 doctor answer • 2 doctors weighed in

Dr. Jack Rubinanswered
Nephrology and Dialysis 49 years experience
BUN-creatinine ratio: The BUN (b)-creatinine (c) ratio is the association with b and c. If your b/c was 20, you would have a b of 20 and a c of 1 in your blood. In your case, you could have had a b of 23 and a c of 1.
4.7k viewsReviewed >2 years ago
A 35-year-old member asked:
Low creatinine and elevated bun/creatinine ratio. Interpret?
1 doctor answer • 2 doctors weighed in

Dr. Robert Dowanswered
Family Medicine 23 years experience
Dehydration: Low creatinine is good. Elevated ratio usually indicates dehydration.
5.8k viewsReviewed >2 years ago
A 38-year-old member asked:
Meaning of bun/creatinine ratio?
1 doctor answer • 3 doctors weighed in

Dr. Peter Kurzweilanswered
Internal Medicine 51 years experience
Defines kidney prob: Bun=blood urea nitrogen, byproduct of proteins ingested, if rise to high levels due to kidney problem, can cause toxic affects on the body.
Creatinine= measurement of renal function. Normal bun/cr ratio about 10. The higher that ratio, the more likely it is not intrinsic kidney disease per se, but reduction in blood flow or volume to kidney, like when on strong diuretic-prerenal-reversible.
5.8k viewsReviewed >2 years ago
Last updated Jul 15, 2020
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