Kidney plays a huge role in keeping
patients’ overall health condition. Yet, the most critical role of kidney is
filtering different waste materials coming from the blood and release it out of
the body through urine. The kidney is also responsible for controlling the
level of water and other minerals in the human’s body.
They are also needed in the
production of:
- Red
blood cells
- Vitamin
D
- Hormones
that control blood pressure
In the event that your doctor notices
abnormality on how your kidney functions, he or she will order kidney function
test. The simple urine and blood testing can pinpoint problems in your kidney.
This may also be required if the patient has other conditions affecting his or
her kidneys, like escalating blood pressure and diabetes.
There are different symptoms, when a
doctor may order kidney blood test or function test. And these are:
- There
is a blood in patient’s urine
- Fluctuating
blood pressure
- Frequent
need to urinate
- Difficulty
starting urination
- There
is a pain when urinating
- There
is a swelling on either hands or feet or both because of fluid build-up in
a patient’s body
If a patient experiences just one of
the above, it might not automatically means the case is serious. But, when problem
is persistent and simultaneous, it can be a sign that kidney is not functioning
right. And this is where blood test for kidney function and kidney function
test comes to play.
Types of tests
To test the function of the kidney,
Urinalysis, Serum Creatinine Test and Blood Urine Nitrogen or BUN may be
ordered.
Urinalysis
This will screen whether there is
blood and protein in the patient’s urine. Although, not all the time presence
of protein in urine means kidney problem as there are other reasons why this
may occur.
Serum creatinine test
This type of kidney blood test
checks whether there is creatinine building up in the patient’s blood The
kidney should filter completely the creatinine from the human’s blood, hence
when creatinine is high, kidney problem is possible.
BUN (Blood Urine Nitrogen)
This blood test measures the
consistency of nitrogen to the human’s blood. Although not all increased BUN
test result means kidney damage, as large intakes of aspirin and other
antibiotics can contribute to its elevation. It is necessary that the patient
tells his or her doctor about the medication he or she is taking to filter
results.
Normal level should be between seven
and twenty mg/dL. Higher result may suggest different health issues.
Consulting a professional doctor is
necessary to ensure proper diagnosis will be done to your kidney. If diagnosis
is done wrongfully, you will have no chance of treating the kidney issue
properly.
