Albumin is a protein your body uses for tissue growth and repair. But if your kidneys aren’t working quite right, albumin starts to leak into your urine.
A microalbumin urine test checks for small (or "micro") amounts of albumin in your urine -- at levels so small a regular urine test might not find them. It can be a sign of kidney disease.
When you find out about a health issue early on, you can often take steps to protect yourself and keep your body strong. If you have diabetes or high blood pressure, one of the things to look out for is kidney disease.
A microalbumin urine test helps because it can find kidney problems before they get too far.
Your kidneys filter your blood. They keep the good stuff your body needs and send the waste out through your pee.
Your doctor will suggest one when you have:
You may also need to get tested if you:
In these cases, you shall talk to your doctor about when to start testing and how often you’ll need it.
Diabetes and Kidney Disease
Diabetes is the No. 1 cause of kidney failure (and the leading cause of microalbumin in the urine) in the United States. When you have diabetes, the level of sugar (or “glucose”) in your blood is too high.
Over time, that extra sugar damages the small blood vessels in your kidneys. It becomes harder for them to clean your blood. Diabetes can also harm your nerves, which may lead to kidney injury.
What Happens During the Test?
To check for albumin, you need to provide a urine sample. Your doctor may ask you to do this in one of a few ways:
Normal Albumin Levels and Albumin/Creatinine Ratio
Keep in mind that labs test things a bit differently from each other. Also, not all bodies are the same, so what’s normal for one person might not be normal for you.