December 28, 2004
Other
Question from Winter Haven, Florida, USA:
I had some blood work done recently. All my readings came back normal, most optimum normal, except my blood sugar, which was elevated, still within normal range, but just barely. My GFR (glomerular filtration rate) total was 87, but my creatinine was 0.8 and the BUN was 9 which I find are all normal. I intend to speak to my doctor about this, but that appointment is a week away. Should I be concerned about my kidney function? Is there any way to reverse this?
Answer:
The numbers you quote me are normal. I would request that your physician perform a test for microalbuminuria. This should be done once a year and can be done on a random specimen without collecting the twenty-four hour specimen. The presence of microalbuminuria is the first abnormality to arise in the evolution of diabetes-related kidney disease.
JTL
