How to Check Kidney Functions

The kidneys are body organs that are essential for filtering and removing wastes and excess fluids from the bloodstream. If you are taking medications or you're one of the many whose diet is mostly composed of salty and processed food, it would serve your best interests to run a check on your kidney functions regularly to ensure that your organs are still in working properly. There are several different tests that you can undergo to check your kidney functions. Follow through on these instructions so you can get started.

Instructions

Instructions

• 1

  Get your medical history ready prior to the kidney check procedure. Before you undergo tests for kidney function, it's important for your doctor to review your medical history. If you're seeing another health care provider for the test, provide him with your medical records so he can take note the type of medications or the kind of diet you currently have.

• 2

  Prepare for the test depending on the type of kidney function check you have requested. Different types of tests require different preparations. For instance, for a blood urea nitrogen test, you need to inform the health care provider if you're under medication that can affect the accuracy of the tests. Drugs that can do such include chloramphenicol and streptomycin. There are cases where in you need to stop the medications for at least 24 hours prior to the tests.

• 3

  Provide blood or urine samples as needed. There are tests such as BUN and serum creatinine tests that will require your blood sample. The health care provider will draw out the blood on the day of the test so you need not worry about doing it yourself. Another form of creatinine test, however, will require your urine sample. You will be provided with a special container for your urine as you will need to take the sample first thing in the morning before you get to the clinic.

• 4

  Wait for the test results and mention any possible symptoms of kidney malfunction that you experience to the health provider. There are signs that you need to be on the lookout for that can indicate that your kidneys are not working properly. Examples include frequent urination, loss of appetite, inability to concentrate and frequent muscle cramps.

• 5

  Interpret the test results as appropriate. You may need the help of your physician for this but it wouldn't hurt to know the normal values that you are expected to get for each test. For instance, for BUN tests, the normal values are 7-20 mg/dl.