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Definition
By Mayo Clinic staffA urine microalbumin test reveals important information about your kidneys.
Healthy kidneys filter waste products from your blood. If your kidneys become damaged, some of these waste products may remain in your blood. At the same time, a type of protein called albumin (al-BU-min) — which should stay in your blood — leaks into your urine. The microalbumin test detects this protein. Often, an elevated microalbumin level is the first sign of kidney damage.
Regular urine microalbumin tests are often recommended for people who have type 1 or type 2 diabetes. Urine microalbumin tests are also recommended for people who have high blood pressure (hypertension). Both diabetes and high blood pressure — among many possible causes — can damage the kidneys.
- Microalbumin and microalbumin/creatinine ratio. American Association for Clinical Chemistry. http://www.labtestsonline.org/understanding/analytes/microalbumin/multiprint.html. Accessed June 7, 2010.
- McCulloch DK. Overview of medical care in adults with diabetes mellitus. http://www.uptodate.com/home/index.html. Accessed June 2, 2010.
- Rose BD, et al. Microalbuminuria and cardiovascular disease. http://www.uptodate.com/home/index.html. Accessed June 2, 2010.
- Prevent diabetes problems: Keep your kidneys healthy. National Diabetes Information Clearinghouse (NDIC). http://diabetes.niddk.nih.gov/dm/pubs/complications_kidneys/. Accessed June 7, 2010.
- Diabetes, kidney and cardiovascular disease. American Heart Association. http://www.americanheart.org/presenter.jhtml?identifier=3044857. Accessed June 7, 2010.
- Israni AK, et al. Laboratory assessment of kidney disease: Clearance, urinalysis, and kidney biopsy. In: Brenner BM, et al. Brenner & Rector's The Kidney. 8th ed. Philadelphia, Pa.: Saunders Elsevier; 2008:724.
- Kidney disease (nephropathy). American Diabetes Association. http://www.diabetes.org/living-with-diabetes/complications/kidney-disease-nephropathy.html. Accessed June 8, 2010.
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