Overview
Protein in your blood is something that everyone has. This protein is called albumin. Protein in your body in general plays an important role. It helps build muscle and your bones throughout your body. It also helps prevent infection as well as control the amount of fluid in your blood.
Your kidneys act like a filtration plant by removing waste and extra fluid from your blood. It also lets proteins and other nutrients pass through and return back to your bloodstream. When your kidneys are not functioning correctly they can let a protein called albumin escape through it’s filters and into your urine. Protein in your urine also known as proteinuria can be an early sign of kidney disease or a condition called nephrotic syndrome.
Risk Factors
You may be more at risk of getting kidney disease if you have one or more of the following conditions:
- Diabetes
- High blood pressure
- A family history of kidney disease
How To Tell If I Have Protein In My Urine
In the beginning you will not notice many symptoms when your kidneys are starting to have an issue. The only way to tell is to have a urine test to check and see if you have protein in your urine. This test will measure the amount of albumin in your urine. This is compared to the amount of creatinine in your urine and is called urine albumin-to-creatinine ratio or UACR ratio. If your UACR is more than 30mg/g it can be a sign of kidney disease.
How Do You Treat Protein In Urine
The first most common cause of kidney disease is diabetes. The second most common cause is high blood pressure. It’s extremely important to make sure these conditions are under control.
If you have diabetes you will need to check your blood sugar levels often. You also may be asked to follow a healthy diet along with an exercise plan
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