Albuminuria
Encyclopedia
Albuminuria is a pathological
Pathology
Pathology is the precise study and diagnosis of disease. The word pathology is from Ancient Greek , pathos, "feeling, suffering"; and , -logia, "the study of". Pathologization, to pathologize, refers to the process of defining a condition or behavior as pathological, e.g. pathological gambling....

 condition wherein albumin
Serum albumin
Serum albumin, often referred to simply as albumin is a protein that in humans is encoded by the ALB gene.Serum albumin is the most abundant plasma protein in mammals. Albumin is essential for maintaining the osmotic pressure needed for proper distribution of body fluids between intravascular...

 is present in the urine
Urine
Urine is a typically sterile liquid by-product of the body that is secreted by the kidneys through a process called urination and excreted through the urethra. Cellular metabolism generates numerous by-products, many rich in nitrogen, that require elimination from the bloodstream...

. It is a type of proteinuria
Proteinuria
Proteinuria means the presence of anexcess of serum proteins in the urine. The protein in the urine often causes the urine to become foamy, although foamy urine may also be caused by bilirubin in the urine , retrograde ejaculation, pneumaturia due to a fistula, or drugs such as pyridium.- Causes...

.Measurement=
The amount of protein being lost in the urine can be quantified by collecting the urine for 24 hours, measuring a sample of the pooled urine, and extrapolating to the volume collected.
Causes=
The kidney
Kidney
The kidneys, organs with several functions, serve essential regulatory roles in most animals, including vertebrates and some invertebrates. They are essential in the urinary system and also serve homeostatic functions such as the regulation of electrolytes, maintenance of acid–base balance, and...

s normally do not filter large molecules into the urine, so albuminuria can be an indicator of damage to the kidneys. It can also occur in patients with long-standing diabetes, especially type 1 diabetes.

Causes of albuminuria can be discriminated between by the amount of protein excreted.
  • The nephrotic syndrome
    Nephrotic syndrome
    Nephrotic syndrome is a nonspecific disorder in which the kidneys are damaged, causing them to leak large amounts of protein from the blood into the urine....

     usually results in the excretion of about 3.0 to 3.5 grams per 24 hours.
  • Nephritic syndrome
    Nephritic syndrome
    Nephritic syndrome is a collection of signs associated with disorders affecting the kidneys, more specifically glomerular disorders. It is characterized by having small pores in the podocytes of the glomerulus, large enough to permit proteins and red blood cells to pass into the urine...

     results in far less albuminuria.
  • Microalbuminuria
    Microalbuminuria
    Microalbuminuria occurs when the kidney leaks small amounts of albumin into the urine, in other words, when there is an abnormally high permeability for albumin in the renal glomerulus.-Diagnosis:...

     (between 30 and 300 mg/24h, mg/l of urine or µg/mg of creatinine) can be a forerunner of diabetic nephropathy
    Diabetic nephropathy
    Diabetic nephropathy , also known as Kimmelstiel-Wilson syndrome, or nodular diabetic glomerulosclerosis and intercapillary glomerulonephritis, is a progressive kidney disease caused by angiopathy of capillaries in the kidney glomeruli. It is characterized by nephrotic syndrome and diffuse...

    .

Treatment =
There is some evidence that dietary interventions (to lower red meat
Red meat
Red meat in traditional culinary terminology is meat which is red when raw and not white when cooked. In the nutritional sciences, red meat includes all mammal meat. Red meat includes the meat of most adult mammals and some fowl ....

intake) can be helpful in lowering albuminuria levels.
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