What Blood Test Is Done For Kidney Function – Learn why it’s so important to get a UACR urine test, an eGFR kidney function test, what your test results mean, and the importance of catching CKD early so you can do more to protect your kidneys.

The first way to find out if you have chronic kidney disease (CKD) is by taking a UACR (urine albumin-to-creatinine ratio) test once a year. A UACR test can detect the amount of a small protein, called albumin, in the urine, which is one of the early indicators of CKD or kidney damage. Damaged kidneys cannot filter as well as they should and allow some protein to enter the urine. Healthy kidneys do not let protein into the urine.

What Blood Test Is Done For Kidney Function

What Blood Test Is Done For Kidney Function

The UACR urine test is not always part of a routine health checkup and is different from the usual urinalysis tests used at doctor’s appointments, so be sure to ask your healthcare provider specifically for the UACR urine test.

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The eGFR test (estimated glomerular filtration rate) is a blood test that measures how well the kidneys filter waste from the blood and how well the kidneys are functioning. Your EGFR is a number based on the number of platelets in your blood. Creatinine is a waste product and healthy kidneys remove it from the blood. As kidney disease gets worse, less creatinine is removed by the kidneys, leading to higher levels in the blood.

The eGFR test is used to measure how well your kidneys are working, but it may not indicate if you are developing CKD. This is because, in the early stages of CKD, you can still have close to normal kidney function even if your kidneys have mild damage. Once kidney function begins to decline, as measured by the eGFR test, the damage cannot be reversed, but there are steps you can take to slow the progression of CKD.

When it comes to kidney health, it’s important to talk to your healthcare provider about screening for chronic kidney disease with a urine test, called a UACR, once a year. The sooner you catch CKD, the more you can do to slow its progression and prevent future kidney damage. If you’re not sure how to start a conversation with your doctor, the doctor’s discussion guide can help. A kidney function panel (also a kidney function test or RFT) is one of the blood tests your doctor will order when you have kidney disease. This test is reviewed by a doctor and a team, including a kidney dietitian. Your lab can provide your healthcare provider with the details of what’s going on inside your body – whether you’re aware of it or not. In this article, we will cover exactly what an adult kidney function panel consists of.

Additionally, your doctor may order tests if you have a family history of kidney disease or are showing signs and symptoms of kidney problems.

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A kidney function panel requires a blood sample. This blood sample is taken from a vein in the arm by a phlebotomist.

Fasting is generally not required for a kidney function panel. However, it may be ordered with other laboratory tests that require fasting.

To fast before a blood test, you don’t eat anything for 8 to 12 hours before your appointment time.

What Blood Test Is Done For Kidney Function

It is important that you still drink plenty of water beforehand because dehydration can affect the results of your kidney function tests.

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The safest amount of water to drink is enough to stay hydrated and avoid thirst. Make sure you follow your doctor’s orders for any fluid restrictions during this time.

If you don’t have enough water, it can cause abnormalities in eGFR, sodium, and chloride levels.

Kidney function panels can be ordered anywhere from monthly to yearly (once a year). The time will be based on the order of the nephrologist or doctor.

You may have had a previous kidney panel or kidney function panel if you have told your doctor about a family history of kidney disease, or you already know your kidney disease diagnosis.

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However, be prepared to put in the work if you want to get your kidney function panel drawn more often.

We will include a standard range for the results. However, it is important to discuss labs with your own healthcare provider as each lab and doctor’s office may have slightly different ranges.

Also, it is important to note that some people may have a “normal” range that is outside of the standard range. This will come from your doctor.

What Blood Test Is Done For Kidney Function

Therefore, they are included in this panel to assess how the kidneys manage these waste products.

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Blood urea nitrogen, also known as urea nitrogen or BUN, is a measurement of protein breakdown and muscle maintenance in the body.

A low-protein diet can help lower BUN in people not on dialysis. However, if done incorrectly it can increase the risk of wasting protein energy and malnutrition.

This can then increase inflammation and potentially increase kidney damage. Ketoanalogues can also lower BUN levels when paired with a low-protein diet.

One study found that eating meat before a blood test for creatinine increased creatinine.

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Normal serum creatinine levels range from 0.6 – 1.2 mg/dL for men and 0.5 – 1.1 mg/dL for women. However, creatinine can vary for a variety of reasons. These reasons include gender, age, and activity level.

Creatinine will generally rise as kidney function declines. This is because with CKD, the kidneys do not remove waste from the body.

Creatinine levels measured in chronic kidney disease can vary from 2.0-15.0 mg/dL depending on the stage and other health conditions.

What Blood Test Is Done For Kidney Function

Finding other causes that affect kidney health can help reduce or stabilize kidney levels. This can come from dietary changes that help promote healthy kidneys.

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Albumin is a protein made in the liver. Serum albumin is a measurement of the amount of albumin in the blood.

Previously it was thought that albumin would show how much protein you ate. Now we know that it is much more than just that.

If you have been hospitalized and have access to a hospital laboratory, look at albumin before, during, and after hospitalization.

When people are hospitalized, they can experience high levels of inflammation in their bodies. After getting better, albumin can increase. This may indicate a healing process using the albumin protein.

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One of the kidney’s jobs is electrolyte balance. These electrolytes are therefore included in the kidney function panel.

Sodium is the most common particle in our blood outside of our cells. It helps muscle function, acid-base balance, cell balance, and osmotic pressure of body fluids.

Many associate sodium levels with the amount of salt in the diet. However, it is more than that.

What Blood Test Is Done For Kidney Function

Your blood test results are not a reliable measurement of your sodium intake. This is a better measurement of your fluid balance.

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If you have extreme edema or swelling with excess fluid, you may see slightly lower sodium levels.

Additionally, sodium levels may be inaccurate if you drink a lot of water before drawing blood.

It has been thought before that if your sodium is out of range you need to eat more/less salt. This is not always the case and can cause other problems.

Consult with a registered dietitian to help evaluate all factors that may be contributing to abnormal sodium levels before making any drastic dietary changes.

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Potassium is the third most abundant mineral in our body. It acts as an electrolyte and helps with nerve conductivity, muscle contraction, and fluid balance.

Potassium levels found on a kidney function panel or basic metabolic panel are generally between 3.5 – 5.0 mEq/L.

High and low potassium values ​​should be reviewed promptly by your doctor and healthcare team as potassium plays an important role in heart function.

What Blood Test Is Done For Kidney Function

Potassium levels that are out of range are generally a critical problem. Your health care provider can follow you up quickly and recheck your levels.

Serum bicarbonate (or carbon dioxide or CO2) is related to the acid-base balance, or pH level, of the body.

With kidney problems, bicarbonate levels tend to drop. As a result, the body then leans towards a more acidic state.

Low levels of bicarbonate are associated with an increased risk of kidney problems. It is caused by metabolic acidosis, a common result of prolonged kidney damage.

By paying attention to your potential renal acid load (or PRAL) in your diet, you can maintain kidney function with healthy dietary changes.

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Chloride is a negatively charged electrolyte. It helps balance fluids and also acid-base balance.

Low chloride may be due to other health problems such as diabetic ketoacidosis, aldosterone deficiency, Addison’s disease, emphysema, or chronic lung disease.

High chloride levels can indicate dehydration. However, it can also indicate health problems including kidney disease due to an imbalance in the acid-base balance that helps the kidneys.

What Blood Test Is Done For Kidney Function

Some nephrology clinics have different ranges to accommodate the higher phosphorus range in late stage CKD, which may appear closer to 3.0 – 5.0 mg/dL.

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Although there is some “forgiveness” with slightly high phosphorus levels, Kidney Disease

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