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Kidney Tests

Kidney Tests
Also called: Kidney Function Panel, Kidney Function Tests, Kidney Panel, Renal
Function Panel

Summary

You have two kidneys. They are fist-sized organs on either side of your backbone above your
waist. Your kidneys filter and clean your blood, taking out waste products and making urine.

Kidney tests check to see how well your kidneys are working. They include blood, urine, and
imaging tests.
Early kidney disease usually does not have signs or symptoms. Testing is the only way to know
how your kidneys are doing. It is important for you to get checked for kidney disease if you have
the key risk factors - diabetes, high blood pressure, heart disease, or a family history of kidney
failure.
Specific kidney tests include

Glomerular filtration rate (GFR) - one of the most common blood tests to
check for chronic kidney disease. It tells how well your kidneys are filtering.

Creatinine blood and urine tests - check the levels of creatinine, a waste
product that your kidneys remove from your blood

Albumin urine test - checks for albumin, a protein that can pass into the urine
if the kidneys are damaged

Imaging tests, such as an ultrasound - provide pictures of the kidneys. The

pictures help the health care provider see the size and shape of the kidneys,
and check for anything unusual.

Kidney biopsy - a procedure that involves taking a small piece of kidney

tissue for examination with a microscope. It checks for the cause of kidney
disease and how damaged your kidneys are.

NIH: National Institute of Diabetes and Digestive and Kidney Diseases

Start Here

Testing for Kidney Disease

Also in Spanish

(National Kidney Disease Education Program)

Tests for Kidney Health (American Kidney Fund) Also in Spanish

Your Kidney Test Results

PDF Also in Spanish

(National Kidney Disease Education Program) -

Specifics

Abdominal Ultrasound (Radiological Society of North America, American

College of Radiology) Also in Spanish

Albumin Test (American Association for Clinical Chemistry)

Beta-2 Microglobulin Kidney Disease Test (American Association for Clinical

Chemistry)

BUN Test (American Association for Clinical Chemistry)

Calcium Test (American Association for Clinical Chemistry)

Cystoscopy and Ureteroscopy

and Kidney Diseases)

eGFR (American Association for Clinical Chemistry)

Intravenous Pyelogram (IVP) (Radiological Society of North America,

American College of Radiology) Also in Spanish

Kidney Biopsy
Diseases)

Magnesium Test (American Association for Clinical Chemistry)

MedlinePlus: Creatinine

MedlinePlus: Metabolic Panel

MedlinePlus: Urinalysis

Microalbumin Test (Mayo Foundation for Medical Education and Research)

Protein Electrophoresis/Immunofixation Electrophoresis (American Association

for Clinical Chemistry)

Total Protein and Albumin/Globulin Ratio Test (American Association for

Clinical Chemistry)

(National Institute of Diabetes and Digestive

(National Institute of Diabetes and Digestive and Kidney

Also in Spanish
(National Library of Medicine)

(National Library of Medicine)

Clinical Trials

ClinicalTrials.gov: Kidney Function Tests

(National Institutes of Health)

Journal ArticlesReferences and abstracts from MEDLINE/PubMed (National Library of

Medicine)

Article: Predictors of CKD and rate of decline in eGFR in...

Article: Effect of Icodextrin Solution on the Preservation of Residual Renal...

Article: Association between Blood Dioxin Level and Chronic Kidney Disease
in...

Kidney Tests -- see more articles

Patient Handouts

24-hour urine protein Also in Spanish

Acid loading test (pH) Also in Spanish

Albumin - blood (serum) test Also in Spanish

BUN Also in Spanish

Glomerular filtration rate Also in Spanish

Kidney biopsy Also in Spanish

Microalbuminuria test Also in Spanish

Protein urine test Also in Spanish

Total protein Also in Spanish

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MEDICAL ENCYCLOPEDIA

24-hour urine protein

Abdominal CT scan

Abdominal MRI

Abdominal tap

Acid loading test (pH)

Albumin - blood (serum) test

Amylase - urine

Anti-glomerular basement membrane

Basic metabolic panel

BUN

Related Health Topics

Kidney Cancer

Kidney Diseases

National Institutes of Health

The primary NIH organization for research on Kidney Tests is the National Institute of
Diabetes and Digestive and Kidney Diseases
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Page last updated on 23 August 2016 Topic last reviewed: 10 August 2016