• UCLA Health
  • myUCLAhealth
  • School of Medicine
CORE Kidney

CORE Kidney Program

CORE Kidney
  • About Us
    • Director's Welcome
    • In the News
    • Photo Gallery
  • Clinical Programs
    • About the Clinical Research Program
    • Alport Syndrome
    • Chronic Kidney Disease (CKD)
    • Diabetic Kidney Disease
    • ESRD | Dialysis
    • Fabry's Disease
    • Glomerulonephritis Program
    • Hypertension
    • Kidney Stone Program
    • Living Kidney Donor
    • Music Program
    • OncoNephrology (Kidney Disease in Cancer Patients)
    • PKD Center
    • Peritoneal Dialysis (PD)
    • Transplant Research and Education Center
    • Urinary Tract Infection (UTI)
  • Educational Presentations
  • Outreach
    • Green Ribbon Spotlights
    • Upcoming Events
    • Virtual UCLA CORE Kidney Health Conference
    • UKEEP
  • Our Expert Team
    • Nephrology
    • Bruin Beans
    • Cardiology
    • Circle of CORE Ambassadors
    • Clinical Fellows
    • Endocrinology
    • Gastroenterology
    • General Surgeon
    • Genetics
    • Hematology
    • Hepatology
    • Pediatrics
    • Post-Doc Fellows
    • Primary Care Physicians/Internal Medicine
    • Psychologist
    • Radiology (Interventional)
    • Transplant
    • Urology
  • COVID-19
    • General Information
    • How COVID-19 Affects CKD Patients
    • What You Can Do
  • Make a Gift
    • Monetary Donations and Philanthropy
    • Volunteer Your Time
    • Register to be an Organ Donor
    • Become a Living Organ Donor
  • Patient Resources
    • Conditions Treated
    • Our Locations
    • Make an Appointment
    • Education
    • Patient Stories
    • Ask the Experts
    • Support Groups
    • Other Resources
  • UCLA Health
  • myUCLAhealth
  • School of Medicine

CORE Kidney Program

Patient Resources

Patient Resources

Patient Resources

  • Conditions Treated
  • Our Locations
  • Make an Appointment
  • Education
    • Kidney Acronyms & Medical Terms
    • Kidney Physiology
    • Kidney Preventative Care
    • Tests for Kidney Disease
    • The Kidneys & Aging
    • Acidosis
    • Acute Kidney Injury (AKI)
    • Alport Syndrome
    • Anemia & Kidney Disease
    • Bone Disease
    • Chronic Kidney Disease (CKD)
    • Complement Disorders
    • Diabetes and Kidney Disease
    • Dialysis- Modalities
    • Electrolytes
      • Disorders of Sodium Balance
      • Disorders of Potassium Balance
      • Disorders of Calcium Balance
      • Disorders of Phosphate Balance
    • End Stage Kidney Disease
    • Exercise
    • Fabry's Disease
    • Glomerulonephritis
    • Heart Disease
    • Hematuria
    • Hemolytic Uremic Syndrome (HUS)
    • High Blood Pressure
    • Home Hemodialysis (HHD)
    • Hyponatremia and Cancer
    • IgA Nephropathy
    • Kidney Stones
    • Living Kidney Donors
    • Lupus and Kidney Disease
    • Medications
    • Meditation
    • Minimal Change Disease
    • Multiple Myeloma & Kidney Disease
    • Music
      • HealthTunes
    • Nephrotic Syndrome
    • Nutrition
    • Paraneoplastic Glomerular Disease
    • Peritoneal Dialysis (PD)
    • Pet Therapy
    • Polycystic Kidney Disease (PKD)
    • Proteins In Kidney Disease
    • Proteinuria
    • Transplant
    • Urinary Tract Infection
    • Vaccines
    • VEGF Inhibitors & Kidney Disease
    • What are the Roles of a Nephrologist in the Care of Kidney Cancer Patients?
  • Patient Stories
  • Ask the Experts
  • Support Groups
    • Kidney Transplant
    • Polycystic Kidney Disease
  • Other Resources
  • Conditions Treated
  • Our Locations
  • Make an Appointment
  • Education
  • Patient Stories
  • Ask the Experts
  • Support Groups
  • Other Resources
  • Kidney Acronyms & Medical Terms
  • Kidney Physiology
  • Kidney Preventative Care
  • Tests for Kidney Disease
  • The Kidneys & Aging
  • Acidosis
  • Acute Kidney Injury (AKI)
  • Alport Syndrome
  • Anemia & Kidney Disease
  • Bone Disease
  • Chronic Kidney Disease (CKD)
  • Complement Disorders
  • Diabetes and Kidney Disease
  • Dialysis- Modalities
  • Electrolytes
  • End Stage Kidney Disease
  • Exercise
  • Fabry's Disease
  • Glomerulonephritis
  • Heart Disease
  • Hematuria
  • Hemolytic Uremic Syndrome (HUS)
  • High Blood Pressure
  • Home Hemodialysis (HHD)
  • Hyponatremia and Cancer
  • IgA Nephropathy
  • Kidney Stones
  • Living Kidney Donors
  • Lupus and Kidney Disease
  • Medications
  • Meditation
  • Minimal Change Disease
  • Multiple Myeloma & Kidney Disease
  • Music
  • Nephrotic Syndrome
  • Nutrition
  • Paraneoplastic Glomerular Disease
  • Peritoneal Dialysis (PD)
  • Pet Therapy
  • Polycystic Kidney Disease (PKD)
  • Proteins In Kidney Disease
  • Proteinuria
  • Transplant
  • Urinary Tract Infection
  • Vaccines
  • VEGF Inhibitors & Kidney Disease
  • What are the Roles of a Nephrologist in the Care of Kidney Cancer Patients?
  1. Home
  2. Patient Resources
  3. Education
  4. Proteinuria

Proteinuria

Share this

What is Proteinuria?

Proteinuria is the presence of abnormal amounts of protein in the urine. Normally, healthy kidneys do not let significant amounts of protein to filter through them. But damaged kidneys let significant amounts of protein to pass through them causing significant disturbances in other bodily functions. One of the major proteins that is lost with urine is Albumin. .Normally, you should have less than 150 milligrams (about 3 percent of a teaspoon) of protein in the urine per day. Having more than 150 milligrams per day is called proteinuria.

DOES PROTEINURIA CAUSE SYMPTOMS?

People with a small amount of proteinuria generally have no signs or symptoms. However, some patients have edema (swelling) in the face, legs, or abdomen if they lose large amounts of protein in their urine.

TYPES OF PROTEINURIA

Proteinuria can be divided into three categories: 1- transient (intermittent) proteinuria is usually due to stress, fever, heavy exercise and resolves without any treatment.  2- Orthostatic proteinuria is a postural proteinuria occurs when one loses protein in the urine in an upright position but not when lying down. This type is not harmful and does not require treatment, and typically disappears with age. 3- Persistent proteinuria occurs in people with underlying kidney disease or other medical problems and needs medical attention and treatment.

PROTEINURIA DIAGNOSIS

Proteinuria is diagnosed by analyzing the urine (called a urinalysis). If two or more urinalyses show protein in the urine, the next step is to determine how much protein is in the urine. This can be measured from a single urine sample collected at any time or urine that has been collected over 24 hrs. Blood testing is also preformed to see how well the kidneys are working. Finally kidney biopsy might be required to determine the exact cause of proteinuria.

Some of the risk factors for proteinuria are:

  • Diabetes
  • Hypertension (High Blood Pressure)
  • Infections
  • Auto-immune diseases
  • Trauma
  • Toxins
  • Certain medications
  • Family history of Kidney disease
  • Obesity
  • Underlying kidney diseases

Management of Proteinuria

Proteinuria in itself is not a disease. It may be indicative of kidney damage due to an underlying condition. Therefore, the treatment is based on identifying the underlying cause of proteinuria and treating it. Treatment is based on the severity and the cause of kidney disease. Early detection and proper treatment are vital in preventing the progression of kidney disease.

 

Disclaimer: The UCLA Health System cannot guarantee the accuracy of such information. The information is provided without warranty or guarantee of any kind. Please speak to your Physician before making any changes. 

Like Us on Facebook Follow Us on Twitter Subscribe to Our Videos on YouTube Follow us on Instagram Connect with Us on LinkedIn Follow us on Pinterest
UCLA Health hospitals ranked best hospitals by U.S. News & World Report
  • UCLA Health
  • Find a Doctor
  • School of Medicine
  • School of Nursing
  • UCLA Campus
  • Directory
  • Newsroom
  • Subscribe
  • Patient Stories
  • Giving
  • Careers
  • Volunteer
  • International Services
  • Privacy Practices
  • Nondiscrimination
  • Billing
  • Health Plans
  • Emergency
  • Report Broken Links
  • Terms of Use
  • 1-310-825-2631
  • Maps & Directions
  • Contact Us
  • Your Feedback
  • Report Misconduct
  • Get Social
  • Sitemap
Like Us on Facebook Follow Us on Twitter Subscribe to Our Videos on YouTube Follow us on Instagram Connect with Us on LinkedIn Follow us on Pinterest

Sign in to myUCLAhealth

Learn more about myUCLAhealth