Microalbumin in urine
A healthy kidney keeps useful blood substances in the body while separating and excreting waste materials produced in the body, but a diseased and damaged kidney cannot prevent the excretion of useful substances in the urine, and these substances, including albumin (the main protein of the blood), appear in the urine. they become In severe and advanced cases of the disease, the amount of urine protein becomes high and measurable, but the microalbumin test can detect very low amounts of albumin in the early and very mild stages of the disease, at least 5 years before serious kidney damage.
Urine microalbumin test is usually prescribed for diabetics and hypertensive patients because these two common diseases are the main causes of kidney damage and their control is successful in the early stages and prevents the progression of the disease and more serious injuries such as kidney failure. can be The damage done to the kidney is irreversible. Microalbumin test is performed in type 1 diabetes patients at least once a year after 5 years from the onset of the disease and in type 2 diabetes patients annually from the diagnosis of the disease.
This test is performed on a morning urine sample or 24-hour urine collection and does not require fasting and the answer is prepared the same day. If the morning urine microalbumin is higher than normal, your doctor may want to confirm the result with 24-hour urine or request 1-2 more tests with an interval of 1-2 months to make sure that albumin excretion is constant. 24-hour urine must be kept in the refrigerator during collection until delivery to the laboratory.
The normal amount of microalbumin in 24-hour urine should be less than 30 mg. Amounts between 30 and 300 micrograms of microalbuminuria are the reason for primary and mild kidney damage. Values higher than 300 mg per day indicate severe kidney damage and are called macroalbuminuria. Heavy exercise, urinary tract infection, presence of blood in the urine (for example, due to kidney stones), some medications and dehydration (for example, during severe diarrhea) can also cause an increase in urine microalbumin.
A more detailed examination includes measurement of urinary albumin excretion and urine creatinine excretion (index of excretion of waste materials from the kidney) and calculating the ratio of these two to each other.
People with diabetes or high blood pressure who have elevated microalbumin in their urine also have a 5- to 10-fold increased risk for heart attacks and retinal damage. The study is still ongoing to understand whether non-diabetic people who have elevated microalbumin in their urine are also at risk for heart attacks.
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