What is Albumin?
Albumin is the protein which is made by the liver & it helps keep fluid in bloodstream such that it doesn’t leak into other tissues. It is involved in carrying substances throughout the body like hormones, enzymes & vitamins. Albumin stays in blood & none is detected in urine if kidney functions properly.
What is Microalbuminuria (24 hrs urine) lab test?
Microalbuminuria can be defined as a condition where levels of albumin is ranging from 30 to 300 mg in 24 hours urine collection. And this albumin is detected in urine when there is early stage of kidney disease. Therefore, the urine albumin test (previously called microalbumin test) detects & measures the concentration of albumin in urine to help screen kidney diseases. With passing time term “microalbuminuria” has been replaced with term “albuminuria” which means any elevation of albumin in urine.
Why is microalbuminuria 24 hours urine lab test done?
It is done because:
- Even a small amount of albumin in urine pose as an early indicator of kidney disease. This small amount of albumin in urine is sometimes called microalbuminuria or urine microalbumin.
- People with consistent detectable small concentrations of albumin in urine can be detected for increased risk of progressive kidney failure & cardiovascular diseases.
- The test can be done in conjunction with creatinine test to provide albumin-to-creatinine ratio (ACR) as when kidney function is damaged, creatinine levels decrease while albumin increases in urine.
- It helps screen kidney disease in chronic conditions like diabetes & hypertension (high blood pressure).