If you or a loved one belongs to a high-risk group, ask your primary-care physician about these tests and be especially insistent about the last one. Your doctor may want to perform other tests as well.
4 Simple, Life-Saving Tests:
| What: |
Blood Pressure |
| Why: |
High blood pressure can damage small blood vessels (glomeruli) in the kidneys. |
| Good Score: |
Below 140/90 is good for most people. Below 130/80 is better if you have chronic kidney disease. Below 120/80 is best. |
| What: |
Protein in Urine |
| Why: |
Traces of a type of protein, albumin in urine (albuminuria) are an early sign of CKD. Persistent amounts of albumin and other proteins in the urine (proteinuria) indicate kidney damage. |
| Good Score: |
Less than 30 mg of albumin per gram of urinary creatinine (a normal waste product). |
| What: |
Creatinine in Blood (Serum Creatinine) |
| Why: |
Healthy kidneys filter creatinine (a waste product from muscle activity) out of the blood. When kidney function is reduced, creatinine levels rise |
| Good Score: |
0.6 to 1.2 mg per deciliter of blood, depending on other variables. |
| What: |
Glomular Filtration Rate (GFR) |
| Why: |
This is the most sensitive and accurate gauge of kidney function. Doctors measure blood creatinine levels and perform a calculation based on age, race, and gender. |
| Good Score: |
Over 90 is good. 60-89 should be monitored. Less than 60 for 3 months indicates CKD. |