Cystatin C Blood Test

Cystatin C may be used as an alternative to creatinine and creatinine clearance to screen for and monitor kidney dysfunction in those with known or suspected kidney disease. It may be especially useful in those cases where creatinine measurement is not appropriate, for instance, in those who have liver cirrhosis, are very obese, are malnourished, or have reduced muscle mass. Measuring Cystatin C may also be useful in the early detection of kidney disease when other test results may still be normal and an affected person may have few, if any, symptoms.