Kidney Problems

Diagnosis & Tests

To find kidney problems, a healthcare provider will ask about personal and family medical history.  They will also need to know all the medications you are taking, including non-prescription, and herbal and other products.

Tests

Healthcare professionals may order the following tests to check kidney health:

  • A blood test known as a basic metabolic panel (BMP) is used to measure electrolytes (sodium, potassium, chloride, bicarbonate, urea nitrogen, creatinine, and glucose) 
  • A urinalysis (U/A) is used to measure:
    • Proteinuria, or loss of protein in the urine. Proteinuria is an important sign of kidney damage. The best measure of this is the albumin/creatinine ratio (ACR).

Both tests can assess levels of waste products that should be removed by normally functioning kidneys.

  • Note that creatinine levels alone are not a good measure of kidney function for many older adults because they lose muscle with age and this can result in unremarkable creatinine levels even when kidney damage may be severe.
  • The glomerular filtration rate (GFR) is calculated by a complex mathematical formula. This is a more appropriate to monitor renal function as takes into account other things along with creatinine levels. In recent years, GFR was applied universally across all races after previously being split between African American’s and non-African Americans.

Other Tests

Other tests your healthcare provider may order depend on the particular type of kidney disease. Some other tests are:

  • Lipid profiles (tests for cholesterol and fat levels)
  • Imaging tests to see the kidneys and their blood vessels such as a renal ultrasound
  • Kidney biopsy (when a small sample of kidney tissue is removed under anesthesia)

 

Last Updated February 2023

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