Aging & Health A to Z
Kidney Problems
Diagnosis & Tests
Your healthcare provider will ask you questions about your health and review all the medicines you take, including prescription drugs, over-the-counter (non-prescription) medications, and herbal or alternative products. He or she will do a physical examination and have your blood and urine checked on a regular basis to assess kidney function and detect any kidney damage.
Frequently used tests to check kidney health include:
- Blood measurements of sodium, potassium, protein, and bicarbonate
- Blood measurements of waste products that should be removed by normally functioning kidneys such as BUN (blood urea nitrogen) and creatinine.
- Measurement of blood pressure.
- Urine tests either with a small sample, or by having you collect all of your urine for 24 hours.
Other tests your care provider may choose to send depends on the particular type of kidney disease you have. Some other tests are:
- lipid profile (tests for cholesterol levels)
- tests to visualize the kidneys and blood vessels (some examples are: renal artery duplex ultrasonography, ultrasound of the kidneys alone, computed tomography [CT] scan, or magnetic resonance imaging [MRI] or angiography if a blocked renal artery is suspected)
- kidney biopsy (when a small sample of kidney tissue is removed under anesthesia).
Updated: May 2012
Posted: May 2012