Of all the various organs present in the human body, kidneys play a vital role. Kidneys promote a balance in the electrolytes, maintain the overall water content in the human body and eliminate metabolic waste from the body. Since the kidneys maintain so many functions at the same time, you can understand their vitality. Our body is like a machine that needs some repair and maintenance from time to time. Similarly, when you consider the internal organs in your body, you need to pay attention to their maintenance as well.
When there is a dearth of faults in the maintenance of your body, it reverts in the form of various illnesses. One of the common problems that many elders and older adults face is kidney failure. You must have come across many people embracing death due to failure in the proper functioning of the kidneys. If you do not want to face such a situation in the future, undergo a kidney test to assess its current condition.
Indeed, many people are not aware of kidney function tests. Therefore, we have come up with a blog that shares information on the same. So, without further delay, let’s get started with the details of a blog.
What do kidneys do?
Before we get into the details of kidney function blood test, it is important to understand how the kidneys work or what they do to our bodies.
On the other sides of your spine, you have two kidneys that are almost the size of your fist. In medical terms, the kidneys are located in the posterior of your abdomen right below your rib cage. Kidneys play many vital roles to maintain good health. First and foremost, the kidneys eliminate the waste materials from the body in the form of urine. Secondly, they monitor and control the water level and other important minerals in the body. Furthermore, the kidneys help in the production of red blood cells vitamin d and blood pressure-regulating hormones.
As soon as the doctor said that your kidneys are not working properly, he asked you to undergo a kidney function blood test. When it comes to understanding the condition of your kidneys generally doctors prefer both urine tests and blood tests to recognise the problems. If the conditions are severe, the doctor may ask you to undergo a kidney function test in London to monitor the condition more accurately.
Symptoms of kidney problem
Many people have a dilemma as to how to understand whether they need a kidney test. To understand the need for a kidney test, look for the signs and symptoms:
- Blood in the urine
- High blood pressure
- Painful urination
- Frequent urge to urinate
- Difficulty while beginning to urinate
- A buildup of body fluids leads to swelling in the feet and hands
So, if you notice these symptoms, do not hesitate to undergo a private kidney function test in the UK. Make sure to get the test done by experts to get accurate results.
Different types of kidney function tests
They are not one but many kidney function tests that can assess the glomerular filtration rate. The glomerular filtration rate is the process through which a doctor understands how quickly the kidneys eliminate the waste from your body. Given below is a list of kidney function tests that a person can undergo depending on the kind of symptoms that he is facing.
- Urinalysis
In a urinalysis test, the doctor assesses the presence of blood and protein in the urine. They can be many reasons why protein may be present in urine besides being related to diseases. When you have infections, the presence of protein in the urine increases. However, this also happens when you undergo a heavy workout. So, to find accurate results the doctor repeats the test after a few weeks.
For this test, the doctor will ask you to provide a urine sample of the last 24 hours. This will help the doctor find out how quickly creatinine is getting eliminated from your body.
- Serum creatinine test
In the serum creatinine blood test, the doctor examines if the kidney is able to built-up creatinine in your blood. Here, the function of the kidneys is to make the blood in a human body free from creatinine. When there is a high level of creatinine in the body, it hints at a kidney problem. According to the national kidney foundation, if a woman has a creatinine level of more than 1.2 mg per litre and a man has more than 1.4 mg per litre, it is a clear sign of kidney issues.
- Blood urea nitrogen
In the blood urea nitrogen test, the doctor checks the amount of waste products present in the blood. To be more precise, this test helps to measure and assess the amount of nitrogen present in the blood. However, the blood urea nitrogen test can also be used for other bodily complications besides kidney damage. A heavy dosage of aspirin and some types of antibiotics can also enhance the blood urea nitrogen level.
So, before you go for the test it is better to inform your doctor about the supplements and medications that you consume regularly. Before the test, the doctor may ask you to stop some medications to get accurate test results. The normal range of blood urea nitrogen is between 7 to 20 mg per litre. Anything more than this is a normal and a clear sign of problematic kidneys.
- Estimated GFR
Estimated GFR test the doctor estimates the way your kidneys are filtering the waste. To determine the test results, it takes a look into various factors like creatinine levels gender age height weight and race. If the results are lower than 60 ml per minute for a 1.73 m cube, it is a sign of poor kidney functioning.
How to perform kidney tests?
Generally, for a kidney test, the doctor asks you to undergo two tests – a urine test and a blood test. Let’s take a look at how you need to prepare for each one of them.
- 24-hour urine sample
Also known as a creatinine clearance test, a 24-hour urine sample helps the doctor find out how much creatinine is eliminated by your body in a single day. The day you go to take this test first urine eat as much as you would right after waking up. For the remaining day and night use a container to urinate on it. This is the sample that you can submit to the doctor. Make sure to use a container with a cover and refrigerate it unless and until you fully collect the sample.
- Blood sample
The blood samples that a doctor asks to check the condition of the kidney include tests like serum creatinine test and blood urea nitrogen test. Just like any other blood test here the lab technician draws the blood from a vein of your arm after tying an elastic band around your arm. The purpose of time this elastic band is to make your veins visible. When the lab technician inserts a needle into your arm you might see a sharp prick. However, this is not deadly.
If you are bothered about the kidney function test price, know that it depends on the clinic from which you get the test done. So, make sure to pick a clinic that is efficient and experienced enough to produce an accurate report.
Conclusion
Now that you have already got an idea about the test that you need to do to assess the functioning of your kidney, it is time to look for a kidney check-up near me. Remember the earlier you get yourself checked, the less the risk.
