Urine protein test

Your healthcare practitioner may often order a urine protein test as part of a routine check-up. The test may also be performed to evaluate kidney function, as part of a pregnancy workup or when urinary tract infection is suspected.

Additionally, you’ll be asked to get this test if you show symptoms of a kidney disease. Some of the symptoms seen in kidney disease are:

• Foamy, frothy or bubbly-looking urine 
• Frequent urination
• Swelling in your hands, feet, abdomen or face
• Difficulty in urinating 
• Loss of appetite
• Fatigue
• Nausea and vomiting 
• Itching

You don’t need any special preparations for this test. Inform your doctor if you are taking any medications, prescribed, non-prescribed, illicit or herbal. Also, tell him/her if you have any health conditions.

Your doctor may ask for a random urine sample or a 24-hour sample. If a random sample is ordered, a ‘clean-catch’ method is used to collect the sample. Here is the procedure for collecting a random urine sample:

• Wash your hands and clean your private area with a cleansing pad. 
• Start urinating into the urinal. 
• Then, move the collecting container under the urine stream and collect up to 60 mL of urine or till the marking indicated on the container. 
• Finish urinating in the toilet bowl and wash your hands properly.
• Label the sample and submit it to the laboratory for testing.

A 24-hour urine sample is generally prefered for this test. This is because the amount of protein in urine varies throughout the day. A 24-hour sample would give an average of the protein that your body is secreting in the day, thus providing more accurate results. The following procedure may be followed to collect a 24-hour urine sample:

• The laboratory will provide special containers to collect and store the urine sample.
• Your healthcare practitioner will tell you when to start collecting the sample. Typically, the collection process starts in the morning. 
• Discard the first urine of the day, but note the time of urination as the beginning of the collection period. 
• Collect all the urine for the next 24 hours. Make sure you refrigerate the sample container between use. 
• After the sample has been collected, label the container and deliver it to the laboratory for testing.

Normal results:

The normal reference values for protein in urine are as follows:

• For a random urine sample: 0-20 mg/dL (milligrams per decilitre)
• For a 24-hour urine sample: 0-0.15 g/24 hr (grams per 24 hours)
• For a timed (usually four hours or overnight) urine sample: 0-6 mg/hr (milligrams per hour)

Abnormal results:

Higher than normal levels of protein in urine indicate an abnormal result. The following conditions can cause persistently increased levels of protein in the urine: 

• High blood pressure
• Chronic kidney disease 
• Medicines such as non-steroidal anti-inflammatory drugs  
• Heart failure
• Diabetes
• Endocarditis (infection of the heart’s inner lining)
• Nephrotic syndrome (a condition causing damage to small blood vessels in the kidney)
• Kidney infection
• Glomerulonephritis (inflammation of the kidney cells) 
• Lupus (a long-term condition where the immune system attacks the body’s own tissues)
• Amyloidosis (deposition of abnormal proteins in the organs)
• Preeclampsia

Some of the following conditions can cause a temporary rise in the amount of protein in the urine:

• Fever
• Strenuous exercise 
• Dehydration 
• Emotional stress
• Exposure to cold

Disclaimer: All results must be clinically correlated with the patient’s complaints to make a complete and accurate diagnosis. The above information is provided from a purely educational point of view and is in no way a substitute for medical advice by a qualified doctor.