Urine Protein Creatine Ratio

What is the urine protein-creatinine ratio test?

The urine protein-creatinine ratio (UPCR) test is a urine test. It measures the amount of protein and creatinine in your urine. When muscle cells consume creatine, they produce creatinine as a waste product.

When your kidneys perform properly, they filter waste products from your blood, including creatinine. They leave your body when you pee.

A UPCR test provides valuable information to your doctor about how well your kidneys are functioning. The findings of this test assist your provider in diagnosing diseases that can result in kidney damage. UPCR is also used to assess how effectively therapies are functioning. Depending on the results, your clinician may recommend more tests or treatments.

When is the UPCR test performed?

Your doctor orders this test to check for high levels of protein in your urine, a condition known as proteinuria. It is a sign of kidney illness.

You may receive a UPCR:

A standard physical examination to check for proteinuria.
If you have symptoms of preeclampsia during your pregnancy,.
If you have indications or symptoms of kidney injury, kidney illness, or chronic kidney disease, you may be eligible for a UPCR.

How does the urine protein-creatinine ratio test work?

Your kidneys form part of your urinary system. Normally functioning kidneys filter waste from your blood, allowing the waste to exit your body with your pee. Your kidneys also filter some proteins, which are critical building blocks for your body.

Your kidneys return proteins to your bloodstream, allowing them to perform critical functions such as managing fluid levels and battling infection. Kidneys that aren’t working properly struggle to filter proteins and return them to the bloodstream. Rather than being reabsorbed into your circulation, these proteins leak into your urine.

A UPCR test is a kidney function test. It diagnoses kidney impairment by analyzing the levels of protein and creatinine in your urine. A UPCR test is accurate since it detects these two chemicals with a single urine sample.

How should I prepare for the urine protein-creatinine ratio test?

There is no need to do anything to prepare for a UPCR test. At your provider’s office, you will be asked to urinate in a clean container.

Healthcare practitioners may measure protein in urine throughout a 24-hour period. This lessens the impact of variations throughout the day.

What may I expect following a UPCR test?

After collecting a urine sample, your healthcare professional will either test it in the office or send it to a laboratory. The lab determines the quantities of protein and creatinine in your urine.

Your physician will call you once the results are available to discuss the next steps. If your provider submits the sample to a lab, it may take up to a week to receive the findings.

What are the advantages of a urine protein-to-creatinine ratio test?

UPCR tests are noninvasive, rapid, and painless. This test uses a small sample of urine to help your physician check for disease and abnormalities that affect how your kidneys function. It also assists your doctor in monitoring therapies for illnesses that cause kidney damage.

Other urine tests, such as the creatinine clearance test, only detect creatinine levels (not protein levels). This test needs you to collect all of your urine over a set period of time (often 24 hours) so that a lab may measure the amount of urine produced throughout that time. Other procedures, such as a urine protein test, only detect protein in your urine over a longer period of time, typically 24 hours.

Because a UPCR test detects both creatinine and protein levels, you only need to provide one urine sample. A UPCR test is a convenient and dependable alternative to tests that require repeated samples.

What are the risks?

This test carries no hazards. Urine test findings might occasionally be inconclusive or unclear. You may need to provide another urine specimen.

Results and follow-up

When should I get the results of my urine protein-creatinine ratio test?

The results of this test may be available in a matter of minutes, or they may take several days. Your healthcare professional will contact you to go over the results and explain what they may indicate.

What do high levels of protein in the urine indicate?

If your kidneys are performing normally, they will excrete less than 150 mg of protein each day in your urine. Higher protein levels in your urine may temporarily increase due to:

• Dehydration.
• Infection.
• Pregnancy.
• Strenuous physical exertion.
• Stress.

Long-term elevated protein levels can indicate significant kidney damage and failure. Increased protein levels can also help your doctor diagnose kidney-damaging illnesses including diabetes and high blood pressure.

When should I contact my doctor regarding a urine protein creatinine ratio test?

If you have any questions about your urine test results, please contact your healthcare practitioner. Your clinician will discuss the findings and propose additional testing or treatments.

A letter from Cleveland Clinic

A urine protein creatinine ratio test provides your doctor with critical information regarding your kidney function. This pee test is rapid, painless, and non-invasive. A UPCR test can assist your provider in diagnosing and monitoring diseases that can harm your kidneys and have an impact on your health. Speak with your physician about the results of this test and what they might signify.

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