Early kidney disease usually doesn’t have any symptoms. Testing is the only way to know how well your kidneys are working. People who have diabetes, high blood pressure, heart disease, or a family history of kidney failure are more exposed to chronic kidney disease and should get tested more often. The sooner chronic kidney disease gets discovered, the sooner you can get treatment to help protect your kidneys.

What are the tests used to discover chronic kidney disease:

The most common tests to discover CKD are:

• a blood test that checks how well your kidneys are filtering your blood called GFR (glomerular filtration rate).
• a urine test to check for albumin. Albumin is a protein that can pass into the urine when the kidneys are damaged.

The same two tests are used to track your disease and find the right treatment over time.

Blood test for GFR:

A glomerular filtration test is one of the ways to check for CKD. You can’t raise your GFR, but you can keep it from going lower and make it remain stable over time. The results of the test mean the following:

• a GFR of 60 or more is in the normal range. Ask your healthcare provider when your GFR should be checked again.
• a GFR of less than 60 may mean you have kidney disease. Talk with your healthcare provider about how to keep your kidney health at this level.
• a GFR of 15 or less is called kidney failure. Most people below this level need dialysis or a kidney transplant. Talk with your healthcare provider about your treatment options.

Creatinine is a waste product from the normal breakdown of muscles in your body. Your kidneys remove creatinine from your blood. Providers use the amount of creatinine in your blood to estimate your GFR. As kidney disease gets worse, the level of creatinine goes up.

Urine Test for Albumin

Albumin is a protein found in your blood. A healthy kidney doesn’t let albumin pass into the urine. A damaged kidney lets some albumin pass into the urine. The less albumin in your urine, the better. Having albumin in the urine is called albuminuria.

The level of albumin in the urine can be checked in two different ways:

Dipstick test for albumin: A provider uses a urine sample to look for albumin in your urine. You collect the urine sample in a container and it gets sent to the lab for testing and research. For the test, a provider places a strip of chemically treated paper, called a dipstick, into the urine. The dipstick changes color if albumin is present in the urine.

Urine albumin-to-creatinine ratio (UACR). This test measures and compares the amount of albumin with the amount of creatinine present in your urine sample. Healthcare providers use your UACR to estimate how much albumin would pass into your urine over 24 hours. The results of the test mean:

• 30 mg/g or less is normal
• more than 30 mg/g may be a sign of kidney disease

If albumin is discovered in urine, the test might be required to be repeated two or more times. A urine albumin level that stays the same or goes down may mean that treatments are working.