Medical Health Tests >> Articles >> Medical Tests

Urine Test Kidney Function

Submitted by Medical Health Test Team on August 4, 2010

Urine Testing For Kidney Function

Kidney function tests are a collective term for a wide range of individual screenings and tests that can be done to measure how well the kidneys are working. The kidneys are the body's natural filtration arrangement and are helpful in accomplishing numerous critical procedures including getting rid of metabolic waste matter from the circulatory system. This would therefore help to regulate the body's balance of water and maintain the pH level of the body’s fluids.

Roughly, one and a half pints of blood per minute get coursed through the kidneys every day, where toxins and waste chemicals are filtrated and expended from the body (along with surplus water) through the urine. Urine tests for kidney functions help in determining if the kidneys are executing their tasks in an adequate manner.

Many disabilities affecting the kidneys could upset their ability to execute life-sustaining tasks. Some conditions could also cause the kidneys to rapidly decline in functionality while others result in a slow degenerative descent in its day-to-day tasks. Kidney disorders could result in an accumulation of toxic matter in the blood. A variety of urine tests for kidney functions are useful in determining the levels of waste matter normally adjusted by the kidneys and can help to determine the origin and magnitude of kidney disorders.

One such simple yet affordable screening test, known as a routine urinalysis, is the chemical analysis of urine (for medical diagnosis). It is usually the first test recommended by the doctor if kidney dysfunctions are suspected. Urinalysis involves a number of stages that can trace and assess various chemicals that pass through the urine.

A tiny quantity of randomly collected urine specimen is analyzed physically for substances such as coloration, odor, appearance, and density (precise gravity). Besides this it is also analyzed chemically for compounds including proteins, blood sugar, and pH mainly, acidity or alkalinity. The urine would also be microscopically analyzed for the occurrence of cellular components such as red blood corpuscles, white blood corpuscles and epithelial tissue, micro-organisms, crystals, and other similar substances that are formed by the build-up of proteins, cells, and other compounds in the kidneys' nephrons. If the test results from the urinalysis suggest a possibility of illness or afflicted kidney function, additional tests are usually recommended by the consulting doctor. This is done to distinctly examine and analyze the cause and the level of degeneration in kidney function.

Some important urine tests for kidney function include:

•   Creatinine clearance test

•   Urea clearance test

•   Urine osmolality test

•   Urine protein test

Related Topics
Kidney Blood Test Results Interpretation Range High Low Readings Our kidneys help in the regulation of salts and water present in our bodies. There are millions of Creatinine Clearance Tests Reasons Preparation Procedure Conduct Creatinine Clearance Tests Creatinine Clearance TestCreatinine is product of the breakdown of creatine phosphate, an important Measuring Creatinine Plasma Levels

Related Questions

Serum Creatinine Clearance Test Serum Creatinine Test Serum Creatinine Blood Test
A creatinine clearance test is another name for a serum creatinine clearance test. This test is
Bilirubin Test Bilirubin Test Results Bilirubin Blood Test Bilirubin Test Procedure
DIC or disseminated intravascular coagulation is also known as consumptive coagulopathy and is
Drug Test Blood Urine Test Results Detection Times Accuracy
First of all, it is necessary to understand the different types of drug testing methods, how they

Today's
Poll

Medical Tests

Urine Test Kidney Function

Today'sPoll

Today's
Poll