Abdominal Pain & Proteinuria

Proteinuria is also called albuminuria or urine albumin. According to the National Kidney and Urologic Diseases Information (NKUDI), "albumin is the main protein in the blood" and "proteins are the building blocks for all body parts." Additionally, when blood passes through healthy kidneys, they filter out waste products, leaving the albumin and other proteins behind, the NKUDI website states.

But because some proteins are too big to pass through the kidneys, this can cause problems, including protein in the urine. In turn, this can cause abdominal pain because the kidneys are located close to the abdominal cavity.

Definitions

• Abdominal pain is any type of pain felt in the abdomen. The pain can be dull, sharp, acute or chronic. According to Medicine Net, the abdominal pain "can arise from the tissues of the abdominal wall"; however, "the term generally is used to describe pain originating from organs within the abdominal cavity."

  Proteinuria is defined as an excessive amount of protein in the urine. As per NKUDI, "proteins from the blood can leak into the urine when filters of the kidney, called glomeruli, are damaged." Also, as per Chemo Care, the proteins flow through the blood to carry out their normal functions. But because the proteins are a bigger molecule, they cannot pass through the tiny kidneys.

Signs and Symptoms

• There are no signs and symptoms or proteinuria in the early stages. However, later, the urine can look foamy in the toilet.

  As per Chemo Care, if you have diabetes, the disease may not be controlled. Because of that, you may have hyperglycemia (high blood sugar), frequent urination, excessive thirst and hunger.

  Other symptoms such as bone pain, fatigue, confusion, dizziness, neuropathy, swelling, nausea or vomiting may indicate active diseases. As per Lab Tests Online, "significant loss of protein from the blood can affect the body's ability to regulate fluids."

Abdominal Pain and Proteinuria

• Because the body can lose the ability to regulate fluids, this can lead to swelling in the hands, feet, face and abdomen. Pain from the swelling can occur in these areas as well, such as abdominal pain.

Associated Diseases/Conditions

• There are several diseases and conditions that can be associated with proteinuria, including diabetes, hypertension (high blood pressure), immune disorders (such as systemic lupus erythematosus (SLE)), infections, exposure to toxins, trauma, kidney cancer, preeclampsia (high blood pressure during pregnancy) or multiple myeloma (cancer of the plasma cells).

Causes

• According to Wrong Diagnosis, the following is a list of causes of both abdominal pain and proteinuria: the use of Accutane (a teratogenic agent that may cause birth defects), aloe poisoning, anemic hematuria syndrome (blood gets drawn out of your body due to blood in the urine), black widow spider bites, bunyavirus (a part of the arborovirus family that can be spread by ticks) and several types of chemical poisoning.

  Additional causes include multiple myeloma, hypertension, nephritis (inflammation of the kidneys), SLE and diabetes. Other causes include inflammation (as in appendicitis) or by stretching of an organ (obstruction of the intestine or blockage of a bile duct).