Cystatin C test
A second way to estimate how well the kidneys filter.
€12.56. You pay at the desk, not online.
- Preparation: Usually no fasting needed
- Prescription: Not needed
- Results: In the Rosa app, within 10 working days
- Also called: Cistatina C
Cystatin C test: what it is for
Cystatin C is a small protein that every cell in your body makes at a steady pace. Your kidneys filter it out of the blood. If they filter less, cystatin C rises. Unlike creatinine, it hardly depends on how much muscle you have.
When it is done
Doctors order it when the eGFR calculated from creatinine may be wrong. That happens in people with a lot of muscle or who take creatine, in people with very little, for example with age or after a long illness, and with a diet very high or very low in protein.
They also order it when they need to know exactly how well the kidneys filter: to confirm kidney disease, or to choose the dose of some medicines. The lab combines it with creatinine into a more precise eGFR.
How the cystatin C test is done
It is a blood test, done at a Bianalisi lab without a prescription. You can add other tests to the same draw.
Questions about the cystatin C test.
Do I need to fast for the cystatin C test? You usually do not need to fast. Follow your lab’s instructions all the same.
How much does the cystatin C test cost? €12.56, from Bianalisi’s private list for Lombardy. You pay at the desk on the day of the draw, not online.
Do I need a prescription for the cystatin C test? No. You book it here without a prescription and pay at the Bianalisi desk.
When do results arrive? Within 10 working days, in the Rosa app, with each value next to the lab’s interval. The report a doctor approves is in the Rosa membership.
