Urine Protein 1+ High

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Aprotein in urine test measures protein is in your urine (pee). Normally, you have very little protein in your urine. A large amount of protein in urine (proteinuria) may mean that you have a problem with your kidneys. Kidneys are organs that filter extra water and wastes out of your blood to make urine.

Proteins are large molecules that are essential for your body to work properly. Protein is found in all parts of your body, including your blood. When your kidneys clean waste from your blood, tiny filters prevent the large protein molecules from leaving your body through urine.

If there is a problem with your kidneys, protein can leak into your urine. High levels of protein in your urine over a period of time may be the first sign that kidney disease or another condition has damaged the filters in your kidneys. A protein in urine test can help you find kidney damage early so you can make changes to protect your kidneys.

A protein in urine test is often part of a urinalysis, a test that measures different cells, chemicals, and substances in your urine. Urinalysis is used to check your general health. This test may also be used to diagnose or monitor kidney disease and many other types of health problems.

Your health care provider may order a protein in urine test as part of your regular checkup, or if you have symptoms of kidney disease. With some types of kidney disease, such as chronic kidney disease, you may not have symptoms until the later stages of the disease. These symptoms include:

Protein in urine may be an early sign of kidney disease before you even have symptoms. So your provider may order a protein in urine test if you have a high risk for kidney disease. You're more likely to develop kidney disease if you have:

Taking certain prescription and over-the-counter medicines can damage your kidneys, too. For example, nonsteroidal anti-inflammatory drugs (NSAIDs, such as ibuprofen and naproxen sodium) can harm the kidneys if you take them for a long period or if you have certain medical conditions.

You will need to give a urine sample for the test. A health care professional may give you a cleansing wipe, a small container, and instructions for how to use the "clean catch" method to collect your urine sample. It's important to follow these instructions so that germs from your skin don't get into the sample:

In certain cases, your provider may ask you to collect all of your urine during a 24-hour period. A "24-hour urine sample test" may provide more complete results, because the amount of protein and other substances in urine can vary throughout the day.

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.

At-home test kits that check for protein in urine test are available without a prescription. The kits usually include dipsticks and instructions for how to collect and test your urine sample. At-home urine tests are easy to do and provide accurate results as long as you carefully follow all instructions. Ask your provider which protein in urine test is best for you.

When your kidneys are not working as well as they should, protein can leak through your kidney's filters and into your urine (i.e., your pee). Protein in your urine is called proteinuria or albuminuria. It is a sign that your kidneys are damaged.

Healthy kidneys remove extra fluid and waste from your blood and transform it into urine. Healthy kidneys do not remove proteins and other important nutrients, which pass through and return to your blood. But when your kidneys are damaged, they may let this protein leak into your urine. This causes high levels of protein in your urine.

Anyone can have protein in their urine. You may be more likely to have protein in your urine if you have one or more of the risk factors for kidney disease. There are health problems that can cause long-lasting protein in the urine, and some that can cause short-term protein in the urine.

The name of the urine test that measures the level of albumin in your urine is called the urine albumin-to-creatinine ratio (UACR). A UACR compares the level of albumin to the level of creatinine (a waste product in your blood that comes from your muscles). A normal UACR is less than 30mg/g. If your UACR is 30 mg/g or higher, it can be a sign of kidney disease, and you should ask your doctor if you should have other tests of kidney disease.

Drinking water will not treat the cause of protein in your urine unless you are dehydrated. Drinking water will dilute your urine (water down the amount of protein and everything else in your urine), but will not stop the cause of your kidneys leaking protein.

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.

Transient proteinuria. This type of proteinuria is the most common and is occasional. It usually doesn't require treatment to recover and can be brought on by stressors like heavy exercise and fever.

Orthostatic proteinuria. With this form of the condition, you lose protein while you're in an upright position but not while lying down. It happens in 2%-5% of children, but the cause is unknown. Orthostatic proteinuria is not harmful and usually goes away with age.

Persistent proteinuria. This type of proteinuria is the most serious and happens in people with kidney disease or conditions that affect the kidneys, like high blood pressure or diabetes. It can also occur if you have a condition that causes overproduction of protein in your body.

A urine test called a urinalysis can tell whether you have too much protein in your pee. First, you'll pee into a cup. A lab technician will dip in a stick with chemicals on the end. If the stick changes color, it's a sign of too much protein. You might need to have this test more than once to find out how long the protein is there.

The technician will also look at the pee under a microscope. They're checking for things that shouldn't be there, which might mean kidney problems. These include red and white blood cells, crystals, and bacteria.

Kidney disease. Proteinuria can be an early sign of chronic kidney disease, which causes kidney function loss. It's very important to treat kidney disease before it leads to kidney failure.

High blood pressure or diabetes. Your doctor might prescribe medication, especially if you have diabetes and/or high blood pressure. Most people will take one of two types of blood pressure medicine:

Proteinuria and no other conditions. If you have proteinuria but don't have other medical conditions like high blood pressure or diabetes, your doctor may still recommend treatment with blood pressure medication to prevent kidney damage and kidney disease.

If you are pregnant, you could develop high blood pressure and proteinuria at the same time, which is a condition called preeclampsia. Although preeclampsia is a serious blood pressure condition and can be a sign of kidney damage, it goes away a few days or weeks after your baby is delivered. Be sure to have regular prenatal visits with your doctor so they can monitor your blood pressure and check for signs of proteinuria.

Proteinuria, or high levels of protein in your pee, can be mild and have no symptoms. It can also lead to kidney damage and disease if untreated. If you have symptoms of proteinuria, like muscle cramps or frequent urination, talk to your doctor. Medication and changes in the diet and exercise routines can help with treating proteinuria.

Protein in your urine can also be a sign of kidney damage. If your kidneys are healthy, protein and other nutrients pass through and go back to your blood. When your kidneys are damaged, protein leaks into your urine.

A small amount of protein in your pee is normal. You should talk to your doctor if your peeing is painful, frequent, or urgent or you have lightheadedness or swelling around your face, stomach, or lower body.

Tests to identify protein in urine are critical for diagnosing and screening for diseases of the kidneys or other conditions affecting kidney function. These tests are also used to monitor disease progression and treatment effect. These diseases and conditions include:

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After you provide a urine sample, it is tested. The health care provider uses a dipstick made with a color-sensitive pad. The color on the dipstick tells the provider the level of protein in your urine.

Although small amounts of protein are normally present in urine, a routine dipstick test may not detect them. A urine microalbumin test can be performed to detect small amounts of albumin in the urine that may not be detected on dipstick testing. If the kidney is diseased, proteins may be detected on a dipstick test, even if blood protein levels are normal.

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