Protein is a substance that acts as a "building material" in our body, getting there with food. Protein deficiency leads to a number of different syndromes, and when a decrease in the level of total protein or albumin is found in the results of the analyzes, it is necessary to monitor not only its sufficient intake with food, but also the probable loss. Proteinuria is a phenomenon in which protein is excreted in the urine.
The number of people suffering from kidney disease is increasing every year. And in order to prevent the development of the disease from a minor violation, as well as to protect yourself from the risk of pathologies associated with kidney diseases, it is necessary to regularly take laboratory tests, which include daily proteinuria.
Is urine protein normal?
Normal urine values in a laboratory study exclude the presence of protein, since its molecule cannot physically pass through the hole in the kidney membrane. But when it comes to such a study as daily proteinuria, the norm can be up to 50 mg. In particular, this often happens if during the collectionmaterial for the laboratory, a person was actively engaged in physical activity or ate a large amount of protein food. There is also a possibility of error, primarily due to the fact that the analysis for daily proteinuria can attribute the excretions or blood that have entered the material for the study to the protein.
Kidney damage
Most often, the mechanism of getting protein molecules into the urine looks like an increase in perforations in the kidney membrane, as a result of which the protein leaves the body with urine. Normally, it should filter out protein molecules, preventing them from entering the urine, returning them back to the blood.
The increase in the holes in the membrane occurs during the destruction of the kidneys, when the kidney tissue is gradually scarred. When the amount of replacement tissue is greater than living, it will be possible to speak of such a phenomenon as kidney failure - a life-threatening condition that requires regular use of dialysis to purify the blood. A disease that leads to nephrotic insufficiency and is characterized by such a symptom as a high constant daily proteinuria, the most common is glomerulonephritis. Less commonly, this process causes pyelonephritis.
Neoplasms
The second reason that the daily proteinuria exceeds normal levels are oncological tumors. Mainly, neoplasms in the kidneys themselves, secondarily - bone marrow cancer or myeloma. With myeloma, bone tissue is destroyed, and decay products enter the bloodstream, and through the kidneys - intopee.
Both kidney failure and cancer are very serious diseases that are difficult to treat. It is possible to maintain he alth and ability to work only by achieving a long and stable remission. And it is obvious that it is more likely to achieve it at an early stage of the disease, so it is very important to conduct regular urine examinations, and if abnormalities are found, contact a nephrologist.
Preparing for analysis
Analysis for the daily amount of protein in the urine is carried out quite rarely, in comparison with the general analysis of urine. Therefore, not everyone knows how to collect daily proteinuria.
First of all, it is important to prepare a container in which urine will be collected. On average, a person's diuresis is about two liters, so it's better to take a three-liter glass jar. Before use, it must be thoroughly washed in running water with soap, dried and marked to determine the exact number of milliliters. Instead of a can, you can use a canister.
For analysis, it is extremely important that all urine excreted per day enter the container. Therefore, for convenience and to avoid that a certain amount of liquid may spill out, it is better to urinate not into the jar itself, but into a small container, for example, a disposable glass, and then pour the urine into a jar or canister.
Collection of urine for analysis
For the laboratory, urine for daily proteinuria is collected exactly in one day, that is, in 24 hours. Thus, starting to collect urine at seven in the morning, the last time to fillthe bank needs at the same time the next day.
In this case, the first portion of urine must be flushed down the toilet, and all subsequent ones, including the morning the next day, into a jar.
After collection, it is necessary to measure the amount and write it out on a sheet or on a referral to the laboratory attached to the urine collection container. This is necessary so that laboratory technicians can calculate the amount of protein in the collected amount of urine, based on its concentration per gram.
How often should I test?
Daily proteinuria is a study that does not require regular testing for a he althy person. In most cases, it is the second step after a urinalysis in the event that traces of protein are found in the first.
People suffering from chronic kidney disease, glomerulonephritis, pyelonephritis, renal failure should measure daily proteinuria once every 1-3 months. The exact frequency is set by a nephrologist, based on the stage of the disease, the frequency of exacerbations, the rate of progression, the duration of remissions.
Proteinuria during pregnancy
Pregnancy is a period when an enormous burden falls on the kidneys. That is why almost every woman during childbearing is faced with the problem of edema. And even if before pregnancy, the tests did not reveal any violations, after its onset, a urine test - daily proteinuria, can show significant deviations from the norm.
Whyit happens? First of all, for the reason that pregnancy affects the functioning of all body systems, therefore certain reversible disorders can occur with any organs, including the kidneys.
Secondly, during pregnancy, there is often an increase in blood pressure, resulting in an increase in intrarenal pressure. This leads to damage to the membranes of the glomeruli, and protein molecules enter the urine. With the normalization of pressure, which usually occurs spontaneously after childbirth, the function and morphological state of the kidneys returns to normal, and the protein in the urine is not detected.
Finally, proteinuria during gestation can be the result of a real disease that manifested itself after the start of pregnancy. For example, pyelonephritis can go into remission for many years until a provoking factor in the form of pregnancy causes an exacerbation.
Also, glomerulonephritis sometimes develops asymptomatically, so a person who does not undergo an annual medical examination may not be aware of problems in the excretory system of his body. During examinations as part of monitoring the bearing of a child, a high daily proteinuria during pregnancy may be detected. However, the reason for its appearance will not be in pregnancy, but in kidney disease.
Where to go after analysis?
After the urine test shows an increased protein content, it is necessary to re-analyze to eliminate the possibility of error. Diagnosis does not requireless than three test results with identified pathology, but after the second analysis, you can consult a doctor.
Diseases that include proteinuria are treated by two specialists: a urologist or a nephrologist. In order to determine which doctor to refer the patient to, the therapist considers the overall picture of the symptomatology. If protein in the urine is detected due to neoplasms in the urinary system, a urologist consultation is required, and if protein enters the urine due to reduced filtration capacity of the kidneys, a nephrologist is needed.
In addition to blood tests, questioning the patient to determine his general condition (pain, high blood pressure, swelling), examination and ultrasound, a good result is the study of the protein in the urine, if it is mostly albumin - the problem of the phenomenon in the filtration of blood by the kidneys.
How to cure proteinuria?
Proteinuria is not an independent disease, it is a consequence of the pathology of the excretory system of the body, therefore, in order to reduce or completely eliminate proteinuria, it is necessary to treat the underlying disease.
Nutrition has a significant impact on reducing proteinuria. It is important to carefully monitor the amount of protein consumed, its volume in the diet should not exceed 30 percent. It is important to reduce sodium intake as much as possible: the total amount of s alt should be no more than 5 grams per day. Until the causes of protein loss are clarifiedintense physical activity, especially those associated with heavy lifting, should be avoided. It is also necessary to carry out the prevention of viral diseases so as not to put a heavy burden on the kidneys.
Thus, knowing what daily proteinuria is, how to take an analysis, what to do if the study indicators exceed the norm, you can protect your he alth from serious pathologies, choose the best therapy plan in time, adjust your diet and lifestyle.
