Too Much Protein In Urine What Causes It And How To Treat It
What does protein in urine mean? Is it dangerous to have elevated protein levels in the urine? Learn all about this condition and see how to treat it!
Not always the presence of protein in the urine means that there is a health problem, strictly speaking. Sometimes this depends on circumstances. But if this condition persists, it means that there is a difficulty in the functioning of the kidneys.
Proteins in urine are sometimes a sign that the kidneys are not working as well as they should. In principle, this condition does not generate any symptoms and is only detectable by a urine test. Therefore, most of the time it goes unnoticed in the initial phases.
We all have proteins in the blood. These play a very important role in the body, since they help to configure the bones and muscles, as well as to control the amount of fluids in the blood and to prevent infections, among others. However, these do not have to pass into the urine.
When there is protein in the urine, abundantly and persistently, it means that the kidneys are making an incorrect filter. They should process and dispose of waste and not proteins. It is an early sign of kidney problems, which you should address immediately.
Treatment Of Protein In Urine
The treatment of proteinuria depends on the cause of the problem. If what generates it is a secondary disease, you should treat it so that the presence of protein in the urine ceases.
Most commonly, doctors prescribe medications of two types when the underlying disease is diabetes or hypertension. The first are the angiotensin-converting enzyme inhibitors, we know them as ACE, for their acronym in English. The second are the angiotensin receptor blockers, or ARB.
Both medications are usually prescribed when the underlying disease is diabetes or hypertension. However, even if these health problems are not present, doctors also order such drugs to prevent kidney damage. In any case, the presence of proteins in the urine is always a reason for medical consultation.
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What Is A High Number For Protein In Urine
The amount of protein present in the urine sample excreted over 24-hours is used to diagnose the condition. More than 2 g of protein is considered to be severe and is likely to be caused by a glomerular malfunction.
What does proteinuria 2+ mean?
Proteinuria is described based on the following scale: 2+ = 500 1500 mg/24 hours. 3+ = over 2500 mg/24 hours. 4+ = over 3000 mg/24 hours.
What number should protein in urine be?
Urine protein tests detect and/or measure protein being released into the urine. Normal urine protein elimination is less than 150 mg/day and less than 30 mg of albumin/day. Elevated levels may be seen temporarily with conditions such as infections, stress, pregnancy, diet, cold exposure, or heavy exercise.
What does 3+ protein in urine indicate?
If there is a problem with your kidneys, protein can leak into your urine. While a small amount is normal, a large amount of protein in urine may indicate kidney disease.
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Are There Tests To Diagnose The Cause Of Proteinuria
Proteinuria itself can be diagnosed with a simple dipstick test. This involves dipping a specially treated paper strip into a sample of urine. Results are returned within one to two minutes.
To measure the exact amount of protein excreted in the urine, your healthcare provider may recommend a 24-hour urine collection test. By evaluating the composition of urine collected over 24 hours , the lab can calculate how much protein is passed each day.
How Is A Urine Test Done
A simple urine test can be done in your doctor’s office. You will be asked to pee into a clean cup called a specimen cup. Only a small amount of your urine is needed to do the test. Some of the urine is tested right away with a dipstick a thin, plastic strip that is placed in the urine. The rest is examined under a microscope.
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What Are The 3 Early Warning Signs Of Kidney Disease
Signs of Kidney Disease
- You’re more tired, have less energy or are having trouble concentrating. …
- You’re having trouble sleeping. …
- You have dry and itchy skin. …
- You feel the need to urinate more often. …
- You see blood in your urine. …
- Your urine is foamy. …
- You’re experiencing persistent puffiness around your eyes.
Detecting And Quantifying Proteinuria
The results are graded as negative , trace , 1+ , 2+ , 3+ or 4+ . This method preferentially detects albumin and is less sensitive to globulins or parts of globulins .12
The sulfosalicylic acid turbidity test qualitatively screens for proteinuria. The advantage of this easily performed test is its greater sensitivity for proteins such as Bence Jones. The SSA method requires a few milliliters of freshly voided, centrifuged urine. An equal amount of 3 percent SSA is added to that specimen. Turbidity will result from protein concentrations as low as 4 mg per dL . False-positive results can occur when a patient is taking penicillin or sulfonamides and within three days after the administration of radiographic dyes. A false-negative result occurs with highly buffered alkaline urine or a dilute specimen.
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How Is Protein In The Urine Treated During Pregnancy
Trace amounts of protein may not be an issue and can be monitored by your healthcare provider. For higher amounts, treatment will depend on the cause.
In earlier pregnancy, when causes may be due to underlying chronic health conditions, youll work with your doctor to find the appropriate treatment thats safe for both you and your baby.
Infections, like UTIs, can be safely treated with antibiotics. Other complications may need more monitoring. This may mean seeing specialists outside of your OB-GYN.
Preeclampsia is treated in a variety of ways. Your treatment will depend on how far along you are, how severe your condition is, and how you and baby are faring. The most effective treatment for preeclampsia is delivery, though that may not be possible if youre not far enough along.
Other treatments:
- Frequent monitoring. Your doctor will likely have you come in for testing more regularly to monitor changes in your health or your babys health.
- Blood pressure medications. Antihypertensives may be used to lower blood pressure when its particularly high. There are options that are safe during pregnancy.
- Bed rest. Doctors used to regularly prescribe bed rest to those with preeclampsia. Opinions are mixed on how effective this is, though. Generally, bed rest is no longer recommended due to an increased risk of blood clots and other social and economic factors.
Is Drinking A Lot Of Water Good For Your Kidneys
Water helps the kidneys remove wastes from your blood in the form of urine. Water also helps keep your blood vessels open so that blood can travel freely to your kidneys, and deliver essential nutrients to them. But if you become dehydrated, then it is more difficult for this delivery system to work.
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How To Treat Proteinuria
Proteinuria is not a disease but rather a condition caused by another illness. As such, the treatment is mainly focused on resolving or managing the underlying cause.
For instance, the symptoms of acute kidney injuryâformerly known as acute kidney failureâwill usually clear once the underlying condition is treated. In most cases, the kidney function will return to normal with no permanent damage to the kidneys.
With chronic kidney disease , the focus is placed on improving the function of the kidneys to slow the progression of the disease. With respect to proteinuria, lifestyle measures will help control diabetes and high blood pressure as ways to slow progression of the disease.
In addition, medications like ACE inhibitors and angiotensin II receptor blockers help reduce urine protein levels.Statin drugs, used to reduce cholesterol, appear to have similar benefits in people with CKD.
What Happens If You Have Proteinuria
Protein gets into your pee if your kidneys arent working correctly.
Glomeruli are groups of tiny blood vessels in your kidneys. They perform the first stage of filtering waste products and excess water from your blood. The waste products and excess water leave your body through your pee. Glomeruli dont allow passage of larger proteins or blood cells into your pee. If smaller proteins sneak through your glomeruli, then long, thin tubes in your kidneys recover the proteins and keep them in your body.
Proteins may flow into your pee if theres:
- Damage to your glomeruli or tubules.
- A problem with the reabsorption process of the proteins.
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What Is The Treatment For Proteinuria
If you are diagnosed with kidney disease or your kidney functioning is declining, you will be referred by your doctor to a nephrologist, a doctor specializing in diseases of the kidneys. He or she will recommend treatment, which can include medication and changes in your diet and lifestyle. Treatment is tailored depending on what medical conditions are contributing to proteinuria.
When Should I See My Healthcare Provider
Contact your healthcare provider if:
- You pee more frequently than you usually do, or it hurts to pee.
- Your pee is foamy or bubbly.
- You feel nauseous or vomit.
- You feel dizzy, weak or lightheaded.
- You have any swelling or puffiness around your face, abdomen or lower body.
- Your symptoms dont improve after treatment.
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If I Have A Positive Urine Protein Test What Other Tests Might Be Done In Follow Up
A positive urine protein test tells your healthcare practitioner that protein is present in your urine, but it does not indicate which types are present or the cause of the proteinuria. When investigating the reason, your health care practitioner may order additional laboratory tests, such as:
- Comprehensive metabolic panel includes tests such as BUN, creatinine, albumin and total protein, which help evaluate kidney and liver function
- A full urinalysisif a condition such as urinary tract infection is also suspected
- Serum and urine protein electrophoresis testto determine which proteins are being released into the urine and in what quantities this is especially true if your health care practitioner suspects abnormal monoclonal protein production, such as with multiple myeloma or lymphoma.
If kidney disease or damage is suspected, your healthcare practitioner may also order imaging scans to evaluate the appearance of your kidneys.
Lets Talked About Some Of The Main Causes Of Proteinuria:
1> Diabetes: The most common cause of protein in the urine is due to diabetes.2> High BP: It is also observed that people suffering from high blood pressure problems have protein in the urine.3> Age: Age is also an essential factor that causes proteinuria. As we get older, we are more prone to kidney disease. There are chances that kidney of people above 65 can leak protein in the urine4> Family history: If your family member has kidney problems, then you may have proteinuria. We also found Asian, African, Latino, African American, Hispanic people have more kidney problems than others.5> Obesity: We also found that obese people are suffering from proteinuria than fit people.
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Are Eggs High In Protein
Eggs are an excellent source of protein, with a single large egg containing six grams of it. Eggs also contain all the essential amino acids in the right ratios, so your body is well-equipped to make full use of the protein in them.
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How Long Can Dogs Live With Proteinuria
Those dogs with severe proteinuria, particularly those with azotemia and/or nephrotic syndrome, have a more guarded prognosis, with a median survival of < 60 days in one study. As always, early recognition of disease and intervention as appropriate may help to maximize quantity and quality of life for these patients.
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What Are The Causes Of Pediatric Proteinuria
One of the functions of protein in the blood is to help balance the bodys fluid levels. When protein spills into the urine, it causes fluid to leak into the bodys tissues, which results in swelling.
Although proteinuria is often harmless and may result from stress, fever or exercise, it also can be a sign of a serious underlying kidney disease or a disease that started in another part of your childs body. Proteinuria also may be a sign of another condition, nephrotic syndrome, which may indicate an underlying kidney disease.The most common risk factors for proteinuria are diabetes and hypertension, or high blood pressure. Both of these diseases can cause kidney damage and proteinuria.
Risk factors include:
- Family history of kidney disease
- Kidney damage or disease
How Serious Is Proteinuria
However, if you have proteinuria, you may notice urine that appears frothy, or you may experience swelling in the body . Proteinuria is usually detected during a simple urine analysis. Proteinuria is a serious medical condition. Left untreated, proteinuria may lead to serious or life-threatening conditions.
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What Does A Positive Result Mean
When protein in urine is above 30 mg/dL the test is considered positive.
Some dipsticks or labs report the trace readings in terms of negative, 1+, 2+, 3+, and 4+ or the semiquantitative values of 30, 100, 300, or 2000 mg/dL corresponding to each color change. The interpretation of trace readings can be difficult sometimes. To sum it up:
- + corresponds to more than 30 mg/dl
- ++ corresponds to more than 100 mg/dl
- +++ corresponds to more than 300 mg/dl
- ++++ corresponds to more than 2000 mg/dl
A positive result for protein in a routine analysis does not always indicate kidney damage. The positive require additional testing to determine whether the protein represents a normal or a pathologic condition. Benign proteinuria is usually transient and can be produced by conditions such as:
- Strenuous exercise
- Orthostatic or postural proteinuria
When the positive in the protein urine test is due to a pathologic condition, the main causes are:
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.
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What Are The Benefits Of A Urine Protein Creatinine Ratio Test
A UPCR test is noninvasive, quick and painless. Using a small amount of urine, this test helps your provider check for disease and disorders that affect how your kidneys are working. It also helps your provider monitor treatments for conditions that cause kidney damage.
Some other types of urine tests, such as the creatinine clearance test, only measure creatinine levels . This test requires you to collect all of your urine over a timed period so a lab can measure the volume of urine produced over a specific length of time. Other tests, such as a urine protein test, only measure protein in your urine over a longer period of time, usually 24 hours.
Because a UPCR test measures both creatinine and protein levels, you only need to give one urine sample. A UPCR test is a convenient, reliable alternative to tests needing multiple samples.
What Testing Will Your Doctor Order
The initial test of your urine at your doctors office is called a dipstick test. A strip is inserted into your urine and chemical patches react by changing color depending on the amount of protein detected. The range of results goes from + to ++++ or low to high .
If your result is above normal, your doctor may give you a 24-hour urine protein test to monitor your levels more closely over a longer period. Your urine is collected throughout a days time and is analyzed. Morning urine is usually excluded from the test. A high result is considered abnormal and a possible sign of kidney or other health issues.
If only trace amounts are observed, your doctor may or may not order further testing. Or your doctor may use other signs and symptoms to move forward.
Trace amounts of protein can enter the urine if theyre too small to be filtered by the kidneys. In most cases, though, the protein molecules are usually too large to be filtered out.
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