Causes of WBCs and RBCs in Urine
Urine normally contains no RBCS and very few WBCs. Common causes of urinary blood cells include urinary tract and genital infections, among others.
Read more →Disease Guide: Diagnosis, Symptoms & Clinical Treatment Protocols
For patients and caregivers, understanding clinical progression, diagnostic imaging results, and pharmacological treatment options is vital for managing acute and chronic health conditions.
Kidney Symptoms: Flank and Back Pain
Kidney disorders often provoke pain in the flank area of the back. A kidney infection or a kidney stone is most commonly to blame.
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What Are the Causes of Kidneys Leaking Protein?
Healthy kidneys prevent proteins in the blood stream from spilling into the urine. This is why doctors often first suspect kidney disease when a patient presents with elevated urine protein, or proteinuria. Proteinuria often occurs when the kidneys become inflamed or diseased.
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Is it Normal to Have Sediment in Urine?
Understand what it means to have sediment in your urine, including its causes, symptoms, and implications for kidney function. Learn the best ways to manage urinary disorders and maintain healthy bladder and bowel functions.
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What Are the Causes of Kidney Scarring?
Scarring of the kidneys is often presumed when there is persistent elevated urine protein, or serum creatinine. However, doctors are often unable to tell the cause of the scarring unless a biopsy is performed.
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Acceptable Creatinine Levels
Creatinine is included in most routine lab work because it is the most reliable indicator of kidney health. Kidney patients should know what creatinine is, how it is measured and what their creatinine values mean. Many patients find it helpful to maintain a spreadsheet of their creatinine levels.
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Abnormal Urine Analysis
Urine analysis is commonly called urinalysis. You provide a urine specimen to your doctor, who in turn sends it to a lab to be analyzed. The most routine type of urinalysis involves a dipstick test in which an indicator stick is dipped into the urine. Multiple tests are performed using a single indicator stick.
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What Are the Differences Between Multiple Myeloma & Myeloid Leukemia?
Multiple myeloma and myeloid leukemia have much in common. The names are similar, because they are both cancers that start in the bone marrow. Many of the symptoms are similar, and even some of the same drugs are used to treat both diseases. However, they are two distinctly different entities.
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What Does High Alkaline Phosphatase Mean on Blood Tests?
Blood tests are used to assess general health, and also help diagnosis underlying medical conditions. Levels of alkaline phosphatase -- an enzyme in the blood -- can be elevated by liver disease, or less serious conditions including pregnancy and over-the-counter drug use.
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What Drugs Cause Elevated Creatinine Levels?
Elevated creatinine levels scare many patients because they are often associated with kidney disease. Before rushing to conclusions as to the cause of the elevated level, doctors and patients should rule out any other reason why creatinine might be elevated.
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Adrenal Glands & Kidneys
The kidneys and adrenal glands are intimately related, both in terms of location and certain functions. However, patients with kidney disease or adrenal disorders often focus upon one organ at the expense of the other.
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Kidney Cell Types
Kidneys are complex organs that perform many functions. In addition to filtering blood, they secrete hormones that regulate blood pressure and maturation of red blood cells. Many of the filtration functions also have secondary effects, such as maintaining bone health and controlling the acid-base balance in the body.
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Can Gatorade Elevate Potassium Levels in the Blood?
You may have heard the story of how Gatorade got its start. PepsiCo recounts the 1965 tale about a University of Florida assistant coach who sat down with university physicians and asked why his players were so affected by the heat.
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Fish Oil for Kidney Failure
One of the first questions often asked by newly diagnosed kidney patients pertains to fish oil. While the jury is still out on whether the omega-3 fatty acids in fish oil provide long-term benefit for kidney patients, as of 2011, more and more nephrologists are suggesting that their patients begin a fish oil regimen.
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