A patient’s BUN value is 15 mg/dl and his creatinine is 5 mg/dl. If this patient is not undergoing dialysis, what conclusion would you draw from these results?

The patient’s BUN is within normal range (5-20 mg/dL) while the creatinine is about five times the upper normal range (0.6-1.2 mg/dL). Gross elevations in creatinine are almost always accompanied by elevations in BUN when there is kidney impairment. Either the BUN or creatinine value in this case is incorrect. Both tests should be repeated.

A patient’s BUN value is 15 mg/dl and his creatinine is 5 mg/dl. If this patient is not undergoing dialysis, what conclusion would you draw from these results?
A . patient is normal
B. patient is in early stage of renal disease
C. patient protein intake is quite low
D. patient has suffered muscle deterioration
E. one of the values is in error

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Answer: E