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Blood tests are also used to assess kidney function. These include tests that are intended to directly measure the function of the kidneys, as well as tests that assess the function of the kidneys by looking for evidence of problems associated with abnormal function. One of the measures of kidney function is the glomerular filtration rate (GFR).
Risk factors for kidney disease include diabetes, high blood pressure, family history, older age, ethnic group and smoking. For most patients, a GFR over 60 mL/min/1.73 m 2 is adequate. But significant decline of the GFR from a previous test result can be an early indicator of kidney disease requiring medical intervention.
It is simple to measure serum creatinine, and it is the most commonly used indicator of renal function. [6] A rise in blood creatinine concentration is a late marker, observed only with marked damage to functioning nephrons. The test is therefore unsuitable for detecting early-stage kidney disease.
Outside the United States, blood tests made up of the majority of the same biochemical tests are called urea and electrolytes (U&E or "U and Es"), or urea, electrolytes, creatinine (UEC or EUC or CUE), and are often referred to as 'kidney function tests' as they also include a calculated estimated glomerular filtration rate. The BMP provides ...
Para-aminohippurate (PAH) clearance is a method used in renal physiology to measure renal plasma flow, which is a measure of renal function. [citation needed]PAH is completely removed from blood that passes through the kidneys (PAH undergoes both glomerular filtration and tubular secretion), and therefore the rate at which the kidneys can clear PAH from the blood reflects total renal plasma flow.
The medical history takes into account present and past symptoms, especially those of kidney disease; recent infections; exposure to substances toxic to the kidney; and family history of kidney disease. Kidney function is tested by using blood tests and urine tests. The most common blood tests are creatinine, urea and electrolytes.
BUN is an indication of kidney health. The normal range is 2.1–7.1 mmol/L or 6–20 mg/dL. [1]The main causes of an increase in BUN are: high-protein diet, decrease in glomerular filtration rate (GFR) (suggestive of kidney failure), decrease in blood volume (hypovolemia), congestive heart failure, gastrointestinal hemorrhage, [5] fever, rapid cell destruction from infections, athletic ...
Prompt treatment of some causes of azotemia can result in restoration of kidney function; delayed treatment may result in permanent loss of renal function. Treatment may include hemodialysis or peritoneal dialysis, medications to increase cardiac output and increase blood pressure, and the treatment of the condition that caused the azotemia. [7]