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Open Access 01-04-2020 | Acute Kidney Injury | Review

Proteinuria—take a closer look!

Author: Arend Bökenkamp

Published in: Pediatric Nephrology | Issue 4/2020

Abstract

Proteinuria is a hallmark of kidney disease. Therefore, measurement of urine protein content plays a central role in any diagnostic work-up for kidney disease. In many cases, proteinuria analysis is restricted to the measurement of total protein content knowing that very high levels of proteinuria (nephrotic proteinuria) are characteristic of glomerular disease. Still, proteinuria can also be a manifestation of impaired tubular protein reabsorption or even be physiological. This review will discuss the physiology of renal protein handling and give guidance on a more sophisticated analysis of proteinuria differentiating albumin, low-molecular weight proteins and immunoglobulins. These non-invasive tests are available in most routine clinical laboratories and may guide the clinician in the diagnostic process before ordering far more expensive (molecular genetic testing) and/or invasive (kidney biopsy) diagnostics.

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Title: Proteinuria—take a closer look!
Author: Arend Bökenkamp
Publication date: 01-04-2020
Publisher: Springer Berlin Heidelberg
Keywords: Acute Kidney Injury
Acute Kidney Injury
Published in: Pediatric Nephrology / Issue 4/2020
Print ISSN: 0931-041X
Electronic ISSN: 1432-198X
DOI: https://doi.org/10.1007/s00467-019-04454-w

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