Muscle mass may not fully explain higher creatinine in blacks with kidney disease

Why do black patients with advanced kidney disease have higher levels of creatinine, a standard indicator of kidney function, than whites" Contrary to what doctors have thought, the difference may not necessarily reflect differences in muscle mass related to younger age or differences in body composition, reports a study in the July 2008 issue of the Clinical Journal of the American Society of Nephrology (CJASN).