Does anyone know what albumin protein in urine means please? My husband's last test indicates he has 50 mg/dl of albumin protein in his urine. I asked the doctor who visits him what it meant and he said not to worry, it's related to his PC. Wasn't very helpful really. He has his PSA at 19.29 ng/ml, his testosterone is 7.31 ng/ml (it has gone down a bit). He takes Xtandi. Also has a permanent urine catheter, doctors don't want to operate. He has Parkinson and heart arrhythmia.
Has anyone had this before?
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JuanVV
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Albumin is the most abundant protein in human blood. Kidneys Do Not leak it in urine normally.
In case of kidney injury and /or disease, some albumin may start leaking into urine and its called Albuminuria.
Its not a normal thing to see albumin showing up in urine but this should be seen along with Serum creatinine, Blood Urea Nitrogen and other tests to assess kidney functioning.
Albumin leakage can be caused by infection of kidneys, long term damage due to diabetes and High blood pressure or just a medicine side effect ... etc.
He needs to get this evaluated to find the cause and treat it.
Thanks I'll check with oncologist. He doesn't have diabetes or high blood pressure, but it could a medicine I guess, he takes quite a few., blood thinner, Sinemet® (carbidopa-levodopa) for parkinson and a tiny dose of sotalol and a beta blocker.
Hi Tall_Allen, I guess a little blockage could be causing infection - yesterday they told me had urine infection which happens all the time with his catheter- and hence the kidneys not functioning at their best, does this make sense? I will ask about the stent.
Albumin in the urine is an abnormal finding and indicates damage of the glomeruli with albumin entering the urine. There are many situations which can cause albuminuria, degeneratives changes caused by hypertension, diabetes autoimmune diseases, drugs, infections etc. etc. Prostate cancer has been associated with membranous nephropathy . You could discuss about seeing a nephrologist and let him/her to study the cause of the albuminuria and its possible treatments..
Thanks for your reply. I will definitely consult all this with his oncologist since I'll be seeing him this week. And thanks for those links it does help to know as much as possible.
Yes, he should see a nephrologist. His blood pressure needs to be as low as practicable, if it is kidney disease. I had kidney disease for over 20 years until I had a kidney transplant.
Hi JuanVV. Hope things work out for the best. They usually do. Didn't know about Albumin link to pca. My sister has 3 kidneys. If she only had 2 livers, I would really be set.
Everyone has protein in their blood. The main protein in your blood is called albumin. Proteins have many important jobs in your body, such as helping to build your bones and muscles, prevent infection and control the amount of fluid in your blood.
Healthy kidneys remove extra fluid and waste from your blood, but let proteins and other important nutrients pass through and return to your blood stream. When your kidneys are not working as well as they should, they can let some protein (albumin) escape through their filters, into your urine. When you have protein in your urine, it is called proteinuria (or albuminuria). Having protein in your urine can be a sign of nephrotic syndrome, or an early sign of kidney disease.
Anyone can have protein in their urine. You may be more at risk for having it if you have one or more of the risk factors for kidney disease, such as:
Diabetes
High blood pressure
Family history of kidney disease
How will I know if I have protein in my urine?
How is proteinuria treated?
How will I know if I have protein in my urine?
When your kidneys are first starting to have problems, and you do not have a lot of protein in your urine, you will not notice any symptoms. The only way to know if you have protein in your urine is to have a urine test. The test for protein in the urine measures the amount of albumin in your urine, compared to the amount of creatinine in your urine. This is called the urine albumin-to-creatinine ratio (UACR). A UACR more than 30 mg/g can be a sign of kidney disease.
When your kidney damage gets worse and large amounts of protein escape through your urine, you may notice the following symptoms:
Foamy, frothy or bubbly-looking urine when you use the toilet
Swelling in your hands, feet, abdomen or face
If you are having these symptoms, your kidney damage may already be severe. Talk to your health care provider immediately about what may be causing your symptoms and what treatment is best for you.
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How is proteinuria treated?
If you have diabetes or high blood pressure, the first and second most common causes of kidney disease, it is important to make sure these conditions are under control.
If you have diabetes, controlling it will mean checking your blood sugar often, taking medicines as your doctor tells you to, and following a healthy eating and exercise plan. If you have high blood pressure, your doctor may tell you to take a medicine to help lower your blood pressure and protect your kidneys from further damage. The types of medicine that can help with blood pressure and proteinuria are called angiotensin-converting enzyme inhibitors (ACE inhibitors) and angiotensin receptor blockers (ARBs).
If you have protein in your urine, but you do not have diabetes or high blood pressure, an ACE inhibitor or an ARB may still help to protect your kidneys from further damage. If you have protein in your urine, talk to your doctor about choosing the best treatment option for you.
Thanks so much for your very clarifying and thorough reply. I'm seeing his oncologist Thursday so shall mention all this. Our family doctor told me also that he had infection in urine and that the protein in urine could come from that, so according to what everyone has said, it could most probably be kidneys. Thanks again j-o-h-n, and everyone!
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