Why Protein Trace In Urine
Asked by: Roscoe Feil
The condition is often a sign of kidney disease. Your kidneys are filters that don’t usually let a lot of protein pass through. When kidney disease damages them, proteins such as albumin may leak from your blood into your pee. You can also have proteinuria when your body makes too much protein.
Which Circumstances May Interfere With The Results
The protein urine test may cause false-positive readings in case of:
- Highly pigmented urine
- Contamination of the sample with detergents
- Contamination of the sample with antiseptics
- High specific gravity
The protein urine test may cause false-negative readings in case of a high presence of proteins different of albumin, as previously mentioned, or in case of microalbuminuria.
Medically reviewed by our Medical staff on 30-11-2021
What Are The Complications Of Nephrotic Syndrome
When you have nephrotic syndrome, an important protein called albumin leaks into your urine instead of getting filtered by the kidneys as it should. Albumin helps your body get rid of extra fluid. When you do not have enough albumin in your blood, fluid can build up in your body, causing swelling in your legs, feet and ankles. You can also have other problems such as blood clots and infections.
With nephrotic syndrome, cholesterol also builds up in your blood. When you have too much cholesterol in your blood, clumps form inside your veins and arteries, which can cause a heart attack or a stroke.
Nephrotic syndrome can also cause other serious health problems such as:
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What Can Be Done If The Urinalysis Reveals Proteinuria With Signs Of Bleeding And Inflammation
If the urinalysis reveals inflammation or bleeding, your veterinarian may recommend further testing to look for conditions such as bacterial infection, bladder stones, prostatic disease , vaginitis , and cancer, etc. Following treatment, a repeat urinalysis is recommended to determine if the inflammation, bleeding, and proteinuria have disappeared.
How Long Will I Have To Wait For A Transplant If I Need One
The process of getting listed for a kidney transplant often begins after you your evaluation. The average wait time for a kidney from a deceased donor is three to five years. If you have a donor who is willing and able to give you a kidney, you can have your transplant as soon as both you and your donor are ready. Learn more about the kidney transplant waiting list and what you can do while you wait.
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Where Do I Go For Help And Treatment
It can be hard to handle the stress and challenges that come with living with kidney disease. But just as you care for your physical health, it is also important to care for your mental health. There is no shame in asking for help. The good news is you are not alone. There are people and resources available to help you cope in healthy ways.
What Does Frothy Urine Mean
Asked by: Abbigail Keeling
Sometimes, urine can also foam up when it’s concentrated. Your urine is more concentrated if you haven’t had much water to drink and you’re dehydrated. Foamy urine can also indicate that you have too much of a protein, such as albumin, in your urine. The protein in your urine reacts with the air to create foam.
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Why You Should Get Help For Mental Health
When you are having trouble coping with difficult situations, you may not seek help. Why is this? If you are physically injured, you will see a doctor for help. But why is it difficult to seek help from a professional when you are having trouble with your mental health?Attitudes and beliefs about mental health differ across cultures. Some of these attitudes and beliefs can be negative and lead to stigma. Stigma is when a person is labeled by their illness and are no longer seen as an individual but as part of a stereotyped group. Negative attitudes and beliefs toward this group create prejudice. This may lead to negative actions and discrimination.Stigma around mental health can make you feel bad about yourself and prevent you from getting the help you need to feel better. Here are some common reasons you may not ask for help when you are struggling with your mental health:
- It is hard to admit you cannot handle this on your own
- You think you are being a bother
- You feel weak and that you should be able to “tough it out”
- You believe the problem will eventually just go away on its own
- You believe this is just the way it is and there is nothing that can be done about it
- You believe mental health professionals are for “crazy” people
- You do not realize you are having a problem
- You do not know where to go for help
- Getting help from a professional costs too much
- No transportation to get to appointments
Treatment For Proteinuria In Dogs
Proteinuria itself is not a condition, but it may indicate a more serious underlying health problem.
If your dog has proteinuria, your vet will first identify the underlying cause. This will likely involve additional tests, along with a detailed history of your dogs health and any changes in their behavior. They may also prescribe medications to prevent blood clots, such as a very low dose of aspirin or clopidogrel, a blood thinner.
Once the underlying cause has been discovered, your vet can develop a treatment plan. Some of the conditions and related treatments that are linked to proteinuria include:
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What Are The Signs That Something Is Wrong With Your Kidneys
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.
How Do Doctors Treat Diabetes
The goal of treatment is to control your blood sugar and keep it in a healthy range. Doctors treat diabetes with medicines and a diabetes eating plan:
- For type 1 diabetes, insulin shots are the main treatment. They replace the hormone your body is not able to make.
- For type 2 diabetes, doctors use different medicines. These medicines work to lower your blood sugar. Sometimes is it possible to reverse type 2 diabetes by losing weight.
- For both types, to control your blood sugar, doctors and dietitians help you create and follow a diabetes eating plan and be active.
To know if your treatment is working, you will need to have tests to check your blood sugar often.
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How Will I Know If I Have Diabetes
If your doctor suspects you may have diabetes, they will do a blood test called hemoglobin A1C to check your blood sugar levels. This test tells your doctor how your blood sugar levels have been over the last two or three months. You have diabetes if you have a result of 6.5% or higher on two A1C tests.
What Do The Results Mean
If a large amount of protein is found in your urine sample, it doesn’t always mean that you have a medical problem that needs treatment. Strenuous exercise, dehydration, diet, stress, pregnancy, and other conditions can cause a temporary rise in urine protein levels.
Your provider may recommend other urinalysis tests to see whether you continue to have a high level of protein in your urine over time. If your urine protein remains high, it is likely a sign of kidney disease or kidney damage from other conditions.
The amount of protein in your urine is linked to the amount of kidney damage you may have. But you will need more tests to diagnose what is causing the damage. To learn what your results mean, talk with your provider.
Learn more about laboratory tests, reference ranges, and understanding results.
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How Can Albuminuria Be Reduced
You may be able to reduce the amount of albumin in your urine by taking medicines that lower blood pressure called ACE inhibitors or ARBs. The names of these medicines end in -pril or -sartan.
You may also be able to protect your kidneys and reduce albuminuria by working with a registered dietitian who can help you plan meals and change your eating habits. The meal plan may help you
Why Is This Test Performed
The protein urine test is a screening procedure usually performed to detect kidney disorders. The presence of protein in the urine is often associated with early renal disease.
However, protein may be present in the urine when there is no renal disease or damage. For example, it may be due to a transient condition such as strenuous exercise or dehydration.
There are also other diseases not related to kidney problems that may produce protein in urine.
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What Are The Symptoms Of Diabetes
Symptoms of diabetes depend on how high your blood sugar is. In general, symptoms of type 1 and type 2 diabetes include:
- Feeling more thirsty or hungry than normal
- Urinating more than normal
- Having dry skin or sores that heal slowly
If you have any of these symptoms, talk with your doctor right away.
What Is Protein In The Urine
The kidneys function to remove waste and excess water and salts from the blood. Small groups of blood vessels called glomeruli filter the blood, removing these waste products and preventing proteins and other substances from being removed from the blood. If the glomeruli are damaged, protein from the blood can leak into the urine, resulting in high protein levels in the urine .
Less than 150 milligrams of protein in the urine per day is normal. More than 150 milligrams of protein in the urine per day is considered proteinuria.
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Testing For Protein In Urine
The only way to diagnose proteinuria is through a urine test, which measures the amount of protein in your urine.
The test takes place in a doctors office. During the procedure, you urinate into a specimen cup. The doctor places a dipstick, or a small plastic stick coated with chemicals, into the urine sample. If it has too much protein, the stick will change color.
The rest of the urine will be sent to a lab, where it will be examined under a microscope.
If the doctor thinks you have kidney concerns, theyll repeat the urine test three times in 3 months. This helps them rule out temporary causes of proteinuria.
A doctor might also use the following tests to determine whats causing your proteinuria:
- 24-hour urine protein test. In this test, the doctor collects multiple urine samples over 1 day and sends them to a lab.
How Vets Diagnose Proteinuria In Dogs
The most common test to detect proteinuria in dogs is a routine urinalysis. In this test, urine is collected from your dog and assessed by a lab or in a veterinarians office.
If high levels of protein are detected in your dogs urine, your vet will recommend follow-up testing with a second test called a urine protein to creatinine ratio . The UPCR test is considered the gold standard test to measure protein levels in dogs. It will likely be conducted along with other tests to measure your dogs kidney health. During the UPCR test, urine will be collected from your dog and analyzed in a lab to detect the exact levels of protein in the urine. This helps your vet identify whats causing the condition.
If a UPCR shows significant proteinuria , your vet should confirm it by testing two additional samples of urine taken directly from your dogs bladder with a needle. Additional testing is recommended because proteinuria in dogs can be temporary and may not require treatment.
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Why Protein Can Be Present In Urine
A positive result of protein in urine may be a sign of renal disease, although it may be also due to a transient condition, such as strenuous exercise or dehydration.
Normal urine has very little protein present. The proteins founds consist primarily of low-molecular weight serum proteins that have been filtered by the kidney and proteins produced in the genitourinary tract.
The most common type of protein present in the urine is albumin due to its low molecular weight. However, its presence is usually low because the majority of albumin that reach the kidneys is not filtered and much of the filtered albumin is usually reabsorbed by the renal tubules.
Other proteins that may be present in the urine are:
- Proteins from prostatic, seminal, and vaginal secretions
What Are The Signs And Symptoms Of Pediatric Proteinuria
Your child may have no symptoms while in the earliest stages of proteinuria. As large amounts of protein move from the blood to the urine and out of the body, the following signs and symptoms may occur and may indicate progression of kidney disease.
- Difficulty breathing
- Swelling , especially around the eyes and in the hands, feet, and belly
- Urine that appears to be foamy or bubbly because of large amounts of protein
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What Does The Test Result Mean
A negative test result means that there is no detectable amount of protein in the urine at the time of testing.
Protein detected in a random urine sample may be temporary due to an infection, medication, vigorous exercise, pregnancy, diet, cold exposure, or emotional or physical stress. Testing should be repeated after these conditions have resolved.
Protein in the urine can also be a warning sign of a serious condition and usually warrants further investigation. Typically, three positive urine samples over a period of time without other significant symptoms will often be followed up with additional tests, including a 24-hour urine.
Persistent and/or an increased amount of protein in the urine may indicate kidney damage or disease. With kidney disease, the amount of protein present is generally associated with the severity of the damage. Increasing amounts of protein over time indicate increasing damage and decreasing kidney function. The most common cause of protein in the urine is kidney damage resulting from:
- Diabetes proteinuria is one of the first signs of deteriorating kidney function in people with type 1 and 2 diabetes.
- High blood pressure proteinuria in someone with high blood pressure is also a first sign of declining kidney function.
Proteinuria may also be seen with many other diseases and conditions. A healthcare practitioner may order other tests and take into account those results to help determine the cause. Some examples of these causes include:
What Are The Symptoms Of Protein In Urine
When a person first begins to have kidney problems, they may not notice any symptoms. This is why a urine test can be essential to detect protein in the urine, which may indicate early signs of kidney disease.
In addition to proteinuria, symptoms of kidney disease can include:
- Foamy or frothy urine
- Trouble concentrating
If you are pregnant, protein in urine can also be a sign of preeclampsia, a very dangerous condition that can cause high blood pressure and lead to hospitalization. Additional signs of preeclampsia can include headaches, vision changes, abdominal pain, nausea, decreased urine output, and shortness of breath.
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Trace Of Protein In Urine What Does It Mean
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Advice From Patients And Professionals
Elle Lee, LCSW began her career as a licensed therapist after experiencing kidney failure from IgA Nephropathy in 2009. While on peritoneal dialysis, she experienced worries, stress, and emotional struggles that are common among people with kidney failure, which motivated her to become a therapist to help people cope better.
Elle joins AKF to share tips on how people living with kidney disease can better safeguard their mental health.
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Can I Get More Help To Manage My Diabetes
Yes, a diabetes educator can teach you how to control your blood sugar. Your doctor can help you find a diabetes educator in your area. To find a diabetes education program in your area, you can use the American Association of Diabetes Educators online locator. Medicare and many private insurance plans will help pay for visits with a diabetes educator.
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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Recovery And Management Of Proteinuria In Dogs
Resolving proteinuria means treating the underlying condition. Its best to detect proteinuria as early as possible so your vet can figure out whats causing it and develop a treatment plan. In some cases, such as lower urinary tract infection, the condition can be treated relatively easily and the proteinuria will go away.
Chronic causes of proteinuria, such as inflammatory bowel disease, Cushings disease, or diabetes mellitus, may require long-term treatment. During treatment, your vet will try to stabilize the disease and prevent long-term kidney damage.
Dogs diagnosed with severe kidney disease, such as severe inherited kidney disorder, cancer in the kidney, or kidney failure, may not be able to stabilize the disease or will only be able to do so for a short time.