High Protein In Urine
What You Should Know About High Protein in Urine
Proteinuria is another name for high protein in urine. Everyone has protein in their body and it is needed to help with bones, muscles, your hair and nails. They will help keep you healthy and help your blood clot when you are suffering from an injury. The kidneys play a very large role in filtering out the protein in your urine. If they are damaged and unable to complete this task, you may have high protein levels in your urine.
High protein in urine can be a sign of chronic kidney disease. This can be caused from diabetes, high blood pressure and other diseases that cause the kidneys to be inflamed. Because of the seriousness of this, many times, when you have a medical exam you are checked for this. It can be a sign that your kidney function is declining. You and your doctor are going to want to know this as soon as possible. Often times, people that are at risk of developing chronic kidney disease have regular urine screens done in order to measure the protein in their urine.
There are really no signs or symptoms of high protein in urine when it first begins. However, there are some things that you can be on the lookout for. First of all, your urine may begin to look foamy in the toilet when you use the restroom. You may also start to have swelling in your hands, feet, stomach and face. If you start to notice these things you should consult your doctor and ask for a urine screening in order to measure the levels of protein in your urine.
So if you are suffering from high protein in urine you are going to have a few options as far as treatment and regulation goes. First of all, if you suffer from diabetes and high blood pressure along with proteinuria you are going to attempt to control your blood sugar. This is something that you should be doing on a daily basis anyways. You will do this by checking your sugar daily, following a recommended diet, taking your medications and getting enough exercise. Your doctor may also give you a certain type of medication that is going to help your kidneys as well as help control your blood pressure. You can see how this may become tricky because you are actually treating three different conditions at one time and they are all connected.
If you have proteinuria and high blood pressure, but not diabetes, it has been found that you may actually benefit from taking an ACE inhibitor or ARB. Your doctor may also have you taking water pills so that you will urinate more frequently and rid your body of excess water. Finally, you should talk to your doctor about limiting salt and protein in your diet. This may help you as well.
Regardless of how you are feeling physically, if you begin to notice changes in your urine and you are suffering from swelling, you need to talk to your doctor. You are going to want to make sure that you do this if you suffer from diabetes or high blood pressure for sure. You doctor most likely discussed proteinuria with you when you were diagnosed with high blood pressure or diabetes so you may have been aware of what to watch for. Kidney failure can be a terrible thing and it can cause a lot of complications on its own. Do what your doctor says and follow any and all recommendations. If you are not comfortable with what you are told then seek a second opinion. This is your life. Live it well.