Protein in Urine (Proteinuria): Causes, Symptoms & Treatment

The kidneys maintain your health by filtering the blood. The kidneys contain glomeruli, which are microscopic blood vessels. Glomeruli eliminate debris, which is expelled in the urine, & reabsorb protein that remains in the circulation.

Protein can escape into your urine if your kidneys aren't working adequately. Proteinuria is a condition that results from the presence of excessive protein in the urine.

Causes of Proteinuria

Many different things can cause protein in pee, and having a small amount of protein in your urine is normal. If any of the following has happened to you, you may have had higher amounts for a short time: 

• Dehydration.
• Fever.
• Strenuous exercise.
• Extreme cold weather.

If proteinuria is found, your physician will want to monitor how high the protein amounts stay to see if you have kidney disease.

If you are at risk of getting kidney disease, your physician may want to check for proteinuria regularly. People with the following health problems may be more likely to have continuously high amounts of protein in their urine:

• Diabetes.
• Hypertension (high blood pressure).
• Endocarditis.
• Focal segmental glomerulosclerosis Heart disease.
• Amyloidosis.
• IgA nephropathy, also called Berger's disease.
• Multiple myeloma.
• Orthostatic proteinuria.
• Heart attack.
• Lupus Malaria.
• Hodgkin lymphoma (a type of cancer).
• Sarcoidosis Rheumatoid arthritis.
• Sickle cell anaemia.
• Preeclampsia.
• Pregnancy.

People who are overweight and have a history of kidney disease in their family are also more likely to get proteinuria and kidney disease.

Symptoms of Proteinuria

In the initial phases of proteinuria, you might not have any signs. In the later stages of proteinuria, you might have:

• Your face, belly, feet, or legs swell up (this is called oedema).
• More frequent peeing.
• Illness and throwing up.
• Lack of hunger.
• At night, muscles cramp.
• Breathlessness
• Tiredness.
• Having puffy eyes, especially when you wake up.
• The pee is foamy or bubbly.

These are also signs of kidney disease that have been going on for a long time. If you have any of these signs, especially frothy urine or swelling, you should immediately see a doctor.

Treatment of protein in the urine

If your proteinuria is mild or only lasts for a short time, you may not need treatment. If you always have protein in your urine, you will require medication to treat the cause.

Possible treatments are:

• Changes in diet. 

A doctor will tell you to make changes to your food if you suffer from diabetes, kidney disease, or high blood pressure.

• Weight control. 

Keeping a healthy weight can assist you in dealing with diseases that make your kidneys work less well.

• Medication for high blood pressure. 

If you have diabetes or high blood pressure, a doctor may give you medicine to lower your blood pressure. Find out how diabetes and high blood pressure are related.

• Medication for diabetes. 

You might need insulin or medicine to help you deal with high blood sugar.

• Dialysis. 

Dialysis is used to help treat high blood pressure and fluid problems in people with glomerulonephritis and kidney failure.

Testing for protein in the urine

Proteinuria can only be diagnosed with a pee test. It measures how much protein is in your urine.

The test is done in the office of a doctor. During the process, you will pee into a specimen container. The doctor puts a dipstick, which is a small stick made of plastic and covered in chemicals, into the pee sample. 

The rest of the pee will be sent to a lab where a lens will be used to look at it.

If the doctor worries about your kidneys, they will do the pee test three more times in 3 months. This enables them to rule out reasons for proteinuria that are only temporary.

A doctor could also use the following tests to figure out why you have protein in your urine:

• 24-hour pee protein test.

During this test, the physician takes several samples of pee over one day. He delivers them to a lab.

• Test for creatinine clearance. 

Creatinine is made when chemicals break down. A creatinine clearance test measures the amount of creatinine in your urine and blood. If your kidneys function correctly, they move creatinine out of your blood and into your urine. Creatinine stays in your blood if your kidneys aren't working right.

• Blood test for the Glomerular Filtration Rate (GFR). 

The GFR relates to your biological sex (assigned sex), size, age, and race to your blood levels of creatinine and albumin. The GFR shows your doctor how well your kidneys function and how far along your kidney disease is. This knowledge helps your doctor figure out the best way to treat you.

Blood tests to find out how much of each protein is in the blood. The component of your blood that has proteins is called the serum.

• Imaging tests. 

Imaging tests are like ultrasounds and CT scans. They enable your doctor to find problems such as kidney stones, tumours, or blockages in your urine stream.

• Urine protein electrophoresis (UPEP). 

Your doctor can use a UPEP to look for certain kinds of proteins. Your doctor or nurse will send your pee sample to a lab. A lab worker will run an electric current through a sample of your urine. This helps show how much protein is in your urine.

• Immunofixation blood test (IFE). 

Your doctor or nurse will take a sample of blood from a vein in your arm or hand using a small needle and tube. They'll send a sample of your blood to a lab and look for specific proteins.

• Kidney biopsy. 

Your doctor or nurse will cut out a tiny part of your kidney. They will send a piece of the kidney to a lab. A lab worker will look at a sample of your kidney under a microscope to determine what led to your kidney disease & how bad it is.

Conclusion

Proteinuria is elevated protein levels in the urine. Proteinuria may cause you to urinate more frequently, and your urine may be effervescent or frothy. You may experience general symptoms of illness, such as vomiting, fatigue, dizziness, and oedema. If any of these symptoms persist for more than a few days, you should contact  Metropolis. Its labs are known for giving accurate results. Also, it provides personalised attention to patients and can even collect samples from home if required.

Final Takeaway

Proteinuria can be short-term, so not everyone with it will need treatment.

But protein in your urine often indicates that your kidneys aren't filtering blood well. So, treatment aims to address any other health problems you may have. If needed, a doctor can make a treatment strategy to assist in safeguarding your kidneys and lessen any symptoms.