Microalbumin Creatinine Urine Test or Microalbumin Creatinine Ratio is regularly ordered as a screening test mostly on patients suffering from diabetes and hypertension, due to the fact that of increased risk of developing kidney failure.
Blood contains large amounts of protein. Two major groups of proteins in blood serum are albumin and globulin.
Albumin is produced mainly in the liver. It helps keep the blood from leaking out of blood vessels. When albumin levels drop, fluid may collect in the ankles (pedal edema), lungs (pulmonary edema), or abdomen (ascites). Albumin also helps carry some medications and other substances through the blood and is important for tissue growth and healing.
The kidney works to prevent the loss of a protein called albumin into the urine, but a small amount of albumin can be measured in urine of people with normal kidney function. Microalbumin Creatinine Urine Test helps to check the exact level of microalbumin. Microalbumin is the term given to the measurement of albumin in urine at concentrations below the sensitivity of dipstick tests for total protein. Microalbumin can be an important indicator of deteriorating kidney function.
Kidney disease is common in diabetics. When microalbumin is elevated in diabetics, 80% of type I diabetics (IDDM) and 20-40% of type II diabetics (NIDDM) will have their kidney function deteriorate into end-stage renal disease (ESRD or “end stage kidney disease”). Early identification of elevated microalbumin in diabetics is crucial to preventing kidney disease.
The American Diabetes Association (ADA) recommends that routine urinalysis should be performed annually on adults with diabetes. If the urinalysis is negative for protein, microalbumin measurement is recommended.
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