How can I be in remission if my creatinine is still elevated?

Measuring the creatinine level in the blood provides an indicator of how well your kidneys are working. Higher creatinine levels mean worse kidney function. When you have a form of vasculitis affecting the kidneys, small filtering parts of your kidneys (glomeruli) are gradually being injured by your disease. The purpose of treatment, in general, is to stop this injury, but treatment doesn’t restore the kidneys to their previous, healthy state. Thus, even after the vasculitis in the kidney has been quieted, the creatinine may remain elevated. For many patients, a stable creatinine level is an excellent indicator that the treatment is working, and that your kidneys are not being subjected to further injury by your disease.

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