Health Information : Proteinuria

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What is Proteinuria?

Proteinuria is a condition in which there is abnormal amount of protein in urine. It is often a sign of kidney disease. Usually healthy kidneys don’t allow large amount of serum protein to pass into the urine but when kidneys are functioning properly, they may allow proteins from the blood to escape into the urine.

What are the causes of Proteinuria?

Possible causes of Proteinuria are:

• Diseases of glomeruli like Glomerulonephritis and diabetes
• Urinary tract infections
• Proteinuria may be symptoms of other diseases like congestive heart failure, heart disease or first warning sign of eclampsia in pregnancy
• Temporary Proteinuria may occur after exercise or if you have high fever
• Kidney infection
• Lupus
• Malaria
• Multiple myeloma
• Orthostatic
• Proteinuria
• Rheumatoid arthritis
• Sickle cell anemia
• Sarcoidosis

What are the symptoms of Proteinuria?

One may not experience any symptoms in Proteinuria and the problem may be detected during a routine screening of people with high blood pressure or diabetes. However, if the condition is severe, you may experience:

• Swelling on face, around the eyes, arms, hands, legs, ankles, feet and abdomen
• Foamy urine
• Weight gain caused by fluid retention
• Loss of appetite
• Hypertension

How can Proteinuria be treated?

Proteinuria is not a specific disease. Therefore, your doctor will first identify the underlying cause of the problem and then treat it. If Proteinuria occurs due to kidney disease then proper medical management is required, else it will lead to kidney failure. For people with high blood pressure or diabetes, drugs may be prescribed. In case or mild or temporary Proteinuria, no treatment may be needed.