The BUN test is one that your doctor may request to see how well your kidneys are functioning. BUN stands for Blood Urea Nitrogen.
When you consume protein-rich foods like meat, fish, and eggs, the liver takes those proteins and breaks them down to create urea nitrogen. The liver then releases it into the bloodstream.
When BUN reaches healthy kidneys, the kidneys do their job filtering and removing BUN, leaving only small amounts which the body will rid through urine. With unhealthy kidneys, the kidneys fail to filter BUN leaving higher traces in the body.
The normal range of blood urea nitrogen for healthy individuals is 7-20 mg/dL in adults, and 5-18 mg/dL in children. Patients on dialysis have higher BUN levels, usually 40-60 mg/dL.
For dialysis patients, once a month, a BUN test is performed before and after treatment to calculate the amount of dialysis the patient receives. Comparing the two results will tell what the minimum dose of dialysis should be for the patient.
GFR is used to estimate your kidneys filtering function based on gender, race and serum creatinine.
Urea Reduction Ratio (URR) means the reduction in Urea as a result of dialysis.
URR is one form of measurement and is referred to in percentage amounts. The URR shows how effective the dialysis treatment is in removing waste from the body.
2 Simple Tests will give your doctor insight in how well your kidneys are functioning.
If diagnostic imaging is required make sure both kidneys are imaged.
From normal use of muscles and during activity, your body creates waste called creatinine.
The bigger the muscles, the more creatinine you have. When kidneys fail to filter, creatinine builds up in the blood. With this test, your healthcare provider will see how well the kidneys are working, as it's a more sensitive measurement of kidney disease.
There are a variety of imaging options that can be used to determine kidney function.
Time for the results. Make sure you have our list of questions and the answers you need.
Blood passes through a dialyzer in the process to clean the blood removing toxins & extra fluids.
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