Creatinine 1.2 mg/dL (106 µmol/L): Is It High?

A serum creatinine of 1.2 mg/dL is 106.08 µmol/L. It is inside the usual range for men (0.7 to 1.3 mg/dL), and 0.1 mg/dL, or 9%, above the upper limit for women (0.6 to 1.1 mg/dL). At age 50 it gives a CKD-EPI 2021 eGFR of 74 (G2) for a man and 55 (G3a) for a woman. Whether it is high for you depends on age, sex, muscle mass and the trend.

1.2 mg/dL in µmol/L and mmol/L

Multiply by 88.4: 1.2 × 88.4 = 106.08 µmol/L, which most laboratories round to 106 µmol/L, or 0.106 mmol/L. Going back, 106 ÷ 88.4 = 1.2 mg/dL, and any result from 102 to 110 µmol/L rounds to 1.2 mg/dL. The creatinine unit converter handles other results.

eGFR at a Creatinine of 1.2 mg/dL by Age and Sex

With the race-free CKD-EPI 2021 equation, 1.2 mg/dL (106 µmol/L) gives:

For a man, the eGFR drops below 60 from about age 85. For a woman, the eGFR drops below 60 from about age 38 and below 45 from about age 85. An eGFR below 60 for more than three months meets the KDIGO definition of chronic kidney disease.

What these results mean: eGFR 90, eGFR 75, eGFR 60, eGFR 55, eGFR 50, eGFR 45.

Older Equations on Earlier Reports

Some laboratories still report CKD-EPI 2009 or MDRD, so an older result may not match. For a 60-year-old at 1.2 mg/dL the three equations differ by up to 7 points:

See MDRD vs CKD-EPI for why the numbers differ.

Creatinine Clearance at 1.2 mg/dL: Four Example Patients

Drug doses are usually checked against Cockcroft-Gault creatinine clearance, which also uses weight. Our dosing-weight rule uses actual weight below ideal body weight (IBW), IBW up to 30% above it, and adjusted body weight (AjBW) beyond that.

At 1.2 mg/dL, CrCl runs from 27.4 mL/min (woman, 82) to 88.2 mL/min (man, 55). 1 of 4 is below 30 mL/min, where 22 drugs in our renal dosing registry have a cutoff, and 2 are below 50, where 16 do. The formula assumes a stable creatinine.

Which Dosing Lines 1.2 mg/dL Crosses

In our registry, 9 drugs change at 60, 16 drugs change at 50, 22 drugs change at 30, and 8 drugs change at 15 mL/min of creatinine clearance. The list shows where each example adult stands at 1.2 mg/dL, using the same Cockcroft-Gault engine and weights as the table above:

• Man aged 40, 80 kg: 84.5 mL/min, above all four lines. Reaches 60 mL/min at about 1.69 mg/dL.
• Woman aged 65, 62 kg: 40.4 mL/min, below 60 and 50. Reaches 30 mL/min at about 1.61 mg/dL.
• Woman aged 82, 48 kg: 27.4 mL/min, below 60, 50 and 30. Reaches 15 mL/min at about 2.19 mg/dL.
• Man aged 55, 118 kg: 88.2 mL/min, above all four lines. Reaches 60 mL/min at about 1.76 mg/dL.

1.2 mg/dL is the lowest result in this series. The next line any of them meets is 30 mL/min, for the woman aged 65, at about 1.61 mg/dL. At 30 mL/min, 22 drugs in our registry change, including alogliptin, amoxicillin-clavulanate and aztreonam.

In the eGFR table, 6 of 12 results are below 60, and none are below 30.

Is 1.2 mg/dL High for You?

1.2 mg/dL is common in healthy adults with more muscle, and many labs would not flag it for a man. For a smaller or older adult it can mean somewhat reduced filtration: 6 of the 12 table results are below 60, spanning categories G2 to G3b. A borderline value is usually rechecked and compared with earlier results.

At 1.2 mg/dL, a short-lived cause is worth ruling out first. Dehydration, intense exercise, creatine supplements and drugs that block tubular secretion, such as trimethoprim, can raise creatinine without changing filtration. See causes of high creatinine.

When a Result of 1.2 mg/dL Needs Prompt Attention

If 1.2 mg/dL is your usual (baseline) value, a rise to 1.5 mg/dL within 48 hours, or to 1.8 mg/dL within 7 days, meets the KDIGO creatinine criteria for acute kidney injury and should be assessed promptly. So should much less urine, swelling, confusion or breathlessness.

• Compare the result with earlier ones: stable and rising mean different things.
• Ask for your eGFR and, if you take regular medicines, your creatinine clearance.
• Mention recent illness, new medicines, supplements or contrast scans.

There is no quick "flush": how to lower creatinine covers what helps, with your clinician.

Nearby Creatinine Results

• Higher result: Creatinine 1.3 mg/dL (115 µmol/L)

Or browse all creatinine results.