How To Prepare For The Test
Different medicines can change the result of this test. Before the test, tell your provider which medicines you are taking. DO NOT stop taking any medicine before talking to your provider.
The following may also interfere with test results:
- Dye if you have a radiology scan within 3 days before the urine test
- Fluid from the vagina that gets into the urine
- Strenuous exercise
Why Might This Test Be Ordered
Proteins are the “building blocks” of the body that also perform other vital functions such as:
- Nourishing tissues.
- Transporting hormones, vitamins and other essential nutrients.
- Keeping the proper amount of fluids circulating through the body.
When the kidneys are healthy, virtually no proteins pass out of the kidneys and into the urine . However, if a person’s kidneys become diseased or damaged, they are less able to leave the proteins behind, and some proteins begin to filter through and appear in the urine.
What Other Tests Might I Have Along With This Test
You may have to take blood tests and ultrasound scanning of the kidneys alongside your regular urine test to diagnose illnesses, infections, and other medical conditions. In addition to the 24-hour urine test, you may have to take a positive protein-to-creatinine ratio test.
Multiple urine samples are collected for the urine protein test while only one sample is required for the positive protein-to-creatinine ratio test.
Your doctor may order other types of urine tests such as a serum test and a urine protein electrophoresis if he is unable to diagnose the types of protein in your urine. The urine test price is affordable and is recommended for patients who suspect they have kidney problems.
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How Do You Prepare For The Test
Its important that your doctor knows all the medications youre currently taking, including over-the-counter and prescription medications. Certain medications can affect the level of protein in your urine, so your doctor may ask you to stop taking a medication or to change your dose before the test.
Medications that affect protein levels in the urine include:
- antibiotics, such as aminoglycosides, cephalosporins, and penicillins
- antifungal medications, such as amphotericin-B and griseofulvin
- lithium
- penicillamine , a medication used to treat rheumatoid arthritis
- salicylates
Its important that youre well-hydrated before giving your urine sample. This makes giving the urine sample easier and prevents dehydration, which can affect test results.
Avoid strenuous exercise before your test, as this can also affect the amount of protein in your urine. You should also wait to take a urine protein test at least three days after taking a radioactive test that used contrast dye. The contrast dye used in the test is secreted in your urine and can affect results.
What Is The 24
The 24-hour urine protein test checks how much protein is being spilled into the urine, which can help detect disease or other problems. The test is simple and noninvasive.
Urine samples are collected in one or more containers over a period of 24 hours. The containers are kept in a cool environment and then sent to a lab for analysis. Specialists then check the urine for protein.
When higher-than-normal amounts of protein are in the urine, its called proteinuria. This is often a sign of kidney damage and disease.
The test doesnt show what kinds of protein are in the urine. To determine this, your doctor may also order tests such as a serum and urine protein electrophoresis. The test also doesnt show the cause of the protein loss.
Occasionally, proteinuria isnt a sign of kidney damage. This is especially true for children. Protein levels may be higher during the day than the night. Other factors, such as extreme exercise, may also influence the test results.
- lupus
- preeclampsia screening during pregnancy
The 24-hour urine protein test consists of multiple samples of urine taken over a 24-hour period. Its different from a protein-to-creatinine ratio test, which uses just one sample of urine. The 24-hour urine protein test may be given as a follow-up to a positive protein-to-creatinine ratio test.
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How Often Do I Need To Have A Test For Albuminuria
People who are at increased risk for kidney disease should have this test as part of routine checkups by a healthcare provider. Those at increased risk include:
People with diabetes
People with high blood pressure
People with a family history of kidney failure
People who are 65 years or older
Certain ethnic groups including African Americans, Hispanics, Asians, American Indians
Clinical Definition Of Urine Protein/ 24
The trace of protein in urine is frequently measured as a screening test, whenever a urinalysis is performed. This may be done as part of a routine physical, a pregnancy workup, when a urinary tract infection is suspected, as part of hospital admission, or whenever the doctor wants to evaluate kidney function. Proteins are the “building blocks” of the human body.
The albumin to Creatinine Test Ratio test measures the degree of protein leakage from the kidneys and may help assess the degree of kidney inflammation. However, the 24-hour Urine Protein Test is an alternative to the albumin to creatinine ratio.
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How To Treat Proteinuria
Being diagnosed with proteinuria is disheartening. It is however not life threatening. With proper management, proteinuria will go away. You will need to implement some lifestyle changes. These will include better diet management. You will also be asked to stop smoking, drinking alcohol, and lose excess weight.
Medication may be given in the course of treating your proteinuria. Only use drugs prescribed by your doctor and approved for treatment of proteinuria. Follow the dosage of such medication faithfully.
A number of health problems can lead to proteinuria. They include high blood pressure, infections, drugs, diabetes and mediation, tumors such as multiple myeloma and kidney disease, Mild proteinuria is not indicative of a serious disorder. Nevertheless, elevated amounts of protein in your urine are not considered normal. Persistently high protein levels in urine outside the protein in urine normal range is often a sign of improperly functioning kidneys.
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Why The Test Is Performed
This test is most often done when your provider suspects you have kidney disease. It may be used as a screening test.
Although small amounts of protein are normally in urine, a routine dipstick test may not detect them. A urine microalbumin test can be performed to detect small amounts of albumin in the urine that may not be detected on dipstick testing. If the kidney is diseased, proteins may be detected on a dipstick test, even if blood protein levels are normal.
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What Vitamins Can Cause Blood In Urine
Vitamin D deficiency and hematuria are both common health problem in general population. The association between vitamin D deficiency and hematuria was noticed in this study, particularly in postmenopausal women. Patients with vitamin D deficiency should be concern about the risk of hematuria and related disease.
How Will I Know If I Have Protein In My Urine
The only way to know if you have protein in your urine is to have a urine test. The test will measure the levels of protein in your urine.
The name of the urine test that measures the level of albumin in your urine is called the urine albumin-to-creatinine ratio . A UACR compares the level of albumin to the level of creatinine . A normal UACR is less than 30mg/g. If your UACR is 30 mg/g or higher, it can be a sign of kidney disease, and you should ask your doctor if you should have other tests of kidney disease.
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What Happens When Chronic Kidney Disease Or Another Serious Condition Is Diagnosed Or Suspected
A doctor who suspects kidney disease would repeat the urine test three times over three months. If the samples test positive for proteins each time, the patient likely has kidney disease. The earlier the diagnosis, the more chance doctors have to slow the disease and stop it from progressing.
Additional tests might include:
What Might Affect My Test Results
Your urine protein creatinine ratio test results may be affected due to factors such as intensive exercise before sample collection, too much bodybuilding, chronic medical conditions like diabetes/hypertension and any other non-prescription drugs, supplements and medications you take before you appear for this test.
It is recommended not to take any antibiotics, Vitamin C supplements, and specific medications designed for treating Parkinson’s Disease before the test.
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What Do The Urine Protein Test Results Mean
Theres a range of test results that can indicate normal kidney function. Your healthcare provider will discuss the ranges with you and tell you about your specific results. High values might mean that theres kidney disease or damage. If your test result shows a high level of protein or albumin, its likely that your provider will repeat the test.
If your second test is also high, your healthcare provider may order additional tests to further check your kidney function. When either diabetes or high blood pressure is the cause of the albuminuria, treatment of these problems may reduce albuminuria or its progression to kidney disease. Certain blood pressure medications inhibitors, angiotensin II receptor blockers) are especially helpful at limiting kidney damage after micro-albuminuria or albuminuria has been found.
Last reviewed by a Cleveland Clinic medical professional on 02/23/2020.
References
What Is Total Protein
Proteins are one of the building blocks of every cell. They also play an important role in many biological processes. They are essential for growth and development, nutrient and hormone transport, and immune function .
Normally, albumin makes up for slightly more than half of the proteins in the blood , and the remainder of the protein count are the globulins .
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How Is The Test Used
Urine protein testing is used to detect excess protein in the urine . A semi-quantitative test such as a dipstick urine protein may be used to screen for the presence of protein in the urine as part of a routine urinalysis.
A urine protein test may be used to screen for, help evaluate, and monitor kidney function and to help detect and diagnose early kidney damage and/or disease. However, the test can also help screen for several other conditions that can cause proteinuria.
If slight to moderate amounts of protein are detected, then a repeat urinalysis and dipstick protein may be performed at a later time to see if there is still protein in the urine or if it has become undetectable.
If there is a large amount of protein in the first sample, repeat testing will be ordered. If increased levels of urine protein are observed in follow-up specimens, then a 24-hour urine protein may be ordered along with certain blood tests. Since the dipstick method primarily measures the protein albumin, and if follow-up, repeat urine samples are positive, a 24-hour urine test also may be ordered to obtain more detailed information.
Either a 24-hour urine protein or a random protein to creatinine ratio may be used to monitor a person with known kidney disease or damage. A dipstick urine protein and/or a protein to creatinine ratio may be used to screen people on a regular basis when they are taking a medication that may affect their kidney function.
What Is Normal Amount Of Protein In Urine
Your kidneys continuously filter your blood, excreting waste products while holding back proteins and other important molecules. Healthy kidneys normally allow almost no protein to be lost in the urine 2. Although protein in the urine, or proteinuria, is an important marker of disease, there are benign causes of proteinuria, as well 2.
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Normal Values Of Protein In The Urine
Proteins are an important part of our body, since they are responsible for making up many different types of substances and cells and, therefore, they fulfill a wide variety of functions in the body. Many of these functions are carried out in the bloodstream, such as albumin, which has as one of its main functions serving as a means of transporting hormones, fats, drugs and many other substances, which adhere to it. To travel through the blood
Proteins, once they have fulfilled their functions and are no longer useful for us, are discarded through the urine, so the study of the protein values in our urine is a valuable element for the evaluation of the condition of Our organism. In this FastlyHealarticle we will talk about normal values of protein in the urine , a test that is usually done as a routine for the diagnosis of many diseases.
Urine Protein And Urine Protein To Creatinine Ratio
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- Also Known As:
- Urine Protein to Creatinine Ratio
- UPCR
This page was fact checked by our expert Medical Review Board for accuracy and objectivity. Read more about our editorial policy and review process.
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Why Do I Need This Test
A UPT is commonly required to help assess the functioning of the kidneys apart from this pregnant women get tested for UPT as part of routine prenatal care.
You will need this test to check for symptoms of bladder cancer and tumour in your kidneys. The urine analysis is also used to screen other possible medical conditions which can lead to proteinuria or microalbuminuria.
Pregnant women may have this test as part of routine prenatal care to screen for preeclampsia.
One may be tested for protein in their urine. Proteinuria may not cause symptoms in the early stage.
But as kidney function worsens, one may notice these symptoms:
- Swelling in the face, hands or feet
- Foamy dark coloured urine
- Have a family member who has chronic kidney disease or are at risk for kidney disease.
How Is Proteinuria Treated
Treatment depends on the underlying condition that caused proteinuria. Each condition requires different treatments.
If kidney disease is confirmed, a treatment plan might include medication, diet changes, weight loss and exercise. Diabetes and hypertension patients with proteinuria might need blood pressure medication, and those with diabetes will have to control their blood sugar. Diabetes patients should receive glomerular filtration rate blood tests every year and may be referred to a nephrologist, a doctor who specializes in the kidneys.
Pregnant women with preeclampsia should be watched carefully. The condition, although serious during pregnancy, usually resolves itself once the baby is born. Proteinuria patients with low blood pressure should schedule annual urine tests and blood pressure checks.
If proteinuria isnt accompanied by diabetes, high blood pressure or any other medical condition, blood pressure medication still might be prescribed to prevent kidney damage. Blood pressure and urine should be checked every six months to make sure kidney disease isnt present. As for those with mild or temporary proteinuria, treatment may not be necessary.
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How To Prepare For Urinalysis
It is a good idea to drink plenty of water before you go for your test. This may really help get correct and normal urinalysis result. You will also be able to provide your lab assistant with an adequate urine sample. There is no need to change your diet or fast before the urinalysis test.
Just make sure to inform your doctor about any supplements or medications you may be taking. Certain medications and supplements can change your urinalysis result. The most common names are metronidazole, vitamin C supplements, nitrofurantoin, methocarbamol, anthraquinone laxatives, and riboflavin. Keep in mind that illegal drugs can also change your result, so be sure to inform your doctor of any substances you may be using.
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What Happens During A Protein In Urine Test
A protein in urine test can be done in the home as well as in a lab. If in a lab, you will receive instructions to provide a “clean catch” sample. The clean catch method includes the following steps:
If at home, you will use a test kit. The kit will include a package of strips for testing and instructions on how to provide a clean catch sample. Talk to your health care provider if you have any questions.
Your health care provider may also request you collect all your urine during a 24-hour period. This “24-hour urine sample test” is used because the amounts of substances in urine, including protein, can vary throughout the day. Collecting several samples in a day may provide a more accurate picture of your urine content.
