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Microalbumin urine test measures very small quantities of albumin or blood protein in urine samples. This protein is present naturally in small amounts in urine but if it measures above 30 mcg/L then this implies a disease condition. A microalbumin urine test is one of the main tests for diagnosing kidney health problems. Labwork360 provides microalbumin urine tests in Houston as well as all other categories of medical diagnostic tests.
A microalbumin urine test is used for diagnosing early symptoms of kidney damage in individuals who are prone to developing kidney health problems. If microalbumin appears in urine then this means a high risk of heart disease. Not just do kidney and heart problems can contribute to high microalbumin levels in urine samples, but they may also be caused by an imbalance of acid-base and urinary tract infections. It is crucial to get the microalbumin urine test as symptoms only appear after damage to the kidneys, at the later stages of infection. Moreover, as diabetes increases the risk of kidney diseases due to high blood sugar levels, it is important that people with diabetes get screened for signs of kidney problems at least once a year.
If you are diagnosed with high microalbumin levels in the microalbumin test, you may need to take the test again to confirm the findings. If the microalbumin urine test results again show abnormal albumin levels in urine, then this implies an early stage of kidney disease. If the results of the test show high quantities of albumin, then this is a sign of kidney failure. Microalbumin appears in urine if the kidney leaks it due to infection.
The risk of high microalbumin levels manifests even at a very early age as some individuals have high albumin excretion just after birth. Hence, microalbuminuria is an early indicator of the risk of cardiovascular disease (CVD) and it helps individuals receive early treatment with CV-protective therapy regimens.
The urine sample collection is not the same at every laboratory so there is not any standardization presently. Four different methods are used for sampling urine, one of them is the 24 hours urine collection, which is the best standard as it overcomes the effect of diurnal changes in the excretion of albumin. Other methods are also used for collecting samples: random spot sampling, spot morning urine collection (first void), and overnight-timed urine collection. The daily collection of urine is prone to collection errors and it is also a cumbersome process. The spot random sampling method could affect the results giving underestimation and overestimation. The ratio of albumin to creatinine is used for correcting this problem. But the excretion of creatinine is different between genders and also within gender and causes an extra measurement error.
Microalbumin should not be present in urine. But if it appears in urine samples it means you need to take measures to reduce it. Overweight individuals can lose weight to reduce microalbumin levels, avoid foods that contain high quantities of salt or sodium, and eat the right types and amounts of proteins.
The normal ratio in mcg/L of albumin to creatinine is less than 30. If this ratio is between 30 to 300 mg/L then such a condition is called microalbuminuria and the values measuring more than 300 are referred to as macroalbuminuria. Even if the GFR number measures more than 60, microalbumin levels in excess of 30 signify kidney disease.
Microalbuminuria is an early symptom of vascular damage. Kidney damage is the reason for this health problem. Most of the time, this condition indicates kidney disease in its early stages. Type I and type II diabetes and high blood pressure can also be the reasons for this condition. Microalbuminuria is a very prevalent health problem, particularly in diabetic and hypertensive populations. The prevalence of this disease is between 10% to 40%. More so, this problem affects 5% to 7% of healthy individuals too.
The variation in excretion of albumin protein in urine is associated with the risk of developing cardiovascular (CV) health problems. Low quantities or lack of albuminuria is related to a low risk of CV diseases, whereas the CV risk drastically increases with high quantities of albumin in the urine.
The kidney has the function of filtering and removing waste materials from the blood, but albumin is not among the waste products. Albumin is a protein that prevents the leakage of water from the blood into other tissues. Chronic high blood sugar levels can harm the kidneys and this may result in excessive loss of albumin from the blood. Therefore, proteinuria is a symptom of kidney damage.
It is also important to get the microalbumin urine test as the signs of kidney damage only appear after the kidneys become very damaged, raising the protein levels in urine very significantly. This also causes physical symptoms such as swelling of the face, tummy, ankles, and hands.
Macroalbuminuria is a consequence of damage inside the kidneys. Proteinuria in diabetes is generally an effect of either long-term hypertension or hyperglycemia. Hyperglycemia condition is used to refer to high levels of blood sugar. Microalbuminuria worsens to macroalbuminuria within 5 to 10 years of its onset. The GFR also increases during the early stages of this nephropathy, partly due to hyperfiltration and glomerular hypertrophy.
Labwork360 provides microalbumin urine tests in Houston and mobile phlebotomy/at-home specimen collection for it as well as for almost all other categories of lab tests. We provide an at-home specimen collection service within a 10-miles distance from the lab. For more information about diagnostic tests, please visit our website or consult with us on our helpline.
High microalbumin levels signify kidney disorders, but other health problems can also increase microalbumin.
Drinking water does not treat the cause of microalbumin protein in the urine, it only dilutes the concentration of all compounds present in urine, including the microalbumin protein.
Albuminuria is not a disease itself but a condition resulting from other diseases. Treatment is sought rather for diseases that cause this problem.