Tests & Diagnosis

Kidney disease can cause high blood pressure. And high blood pressure can cause kidney disease. That’s why regularly measuring your blood pressure may offer insight into your kidney health.

We may ask you to retrieve a passed kidney stone with equipment we provide so we can analyze it. When we know what a stone is made of, we can determine what’s causing it. This information can guide our efforts to help you prevent future stones.

There are several types of urine tests.

Urinalysis

Urinalysis involves studying your urine in a lab. Sometimes, we can collect a urine sample before your appointment. While you’re visiting with the doctor, we analyze your urine for signs of problems.

Urinalysis consists of two parts:

• A dipstick test involves dipping a special test strip into your urine. The test can detect many different substances in your urine. These include things like protein, blood, glucose and white blood cells. What we find may help us diagnose and monitor certain kidney issues.
• Urine microscopy involves looking at your urine under a microscope. This enables us to see any red blood cells, white blood cells or other findings that may help us track your kidney health.

Even looking at the color and appearance of your urine may provide important details about your kidney health. 

24-Hour Urine Collection

As the name suggests, a 24-hour urine collection test involves collecting your urine for a full day. Analyzing substances in the urine can tell us about high blood pressure, various types of cancer, the causes of kidney stones and more.

Imaging tests can provide a view of your kidneys, bladder and ureters (the tubes that carry urine from your kidneys to your bladder). Many types of imaging scans, including ultrasound, MRI, CT and PET/nuclear medicine scans can be helpful. Ultrasound can also help us see your heart, lungs and blood vessels, which may be important in some cases.

Blood tests measure levels of certain substances in your blood. These tests may reveal a wealth of information:

• Albumin is a protein that your liver makes. Low albumin levels in your blood may indicate that your kidneys are damaged and allowing too much albumin to leave your body in urine.
• Blood urea nitrogen (BUN) is a waste product. It comes from the breakdown of protein and is removed from your body through your kidneys. High levels may indicate a kidney problem. But BUN levels can vary based on protein intake and hydration status. Doctors may look at these results together with other tests.
• Electrolyte measurement through blood testing can measure electrolytes such as sodium and potassium. These substances play important roles in helping your body function. Abnormal levels can be related to kidney problems. Hyponatremia, for example, occurs when sodium is abnormally diluted by water in your blood. Our kidney specialists can help determine the cause and how to treat it. Your kidneys also play an important role in potassium excretion. Our nephrologists can help you if you have high or low potassium levels.
• Serum creatinine is a byproduct of muscle metabolism. Your kidneys help get rid of it. High creatine levels can be related to reduced kidney function with acute kidney injury or chronic kidney disease. 
• Glomerular filtration rate (GFR) estimates the amount of blood passing through your glomeruli, the tiny kidney filters that remove waste from your blood. This test tells us how well your kidneys are functioning. It is calculated from the routine blood test creatinine or cystatin c.

Some kidney conditions are passed down through families. Our dedicated Kidney Genetics Center offers testing for genetic kidney diseases. Services include DNA sequencing and family history review. We also offer second option interpretation of results. Imaging and biochemical testing are available as well.

In some cases, a kidney biopsy can help us diagnose certain types of kidney disease if other blood or urine tests suggest you might have a kidney problem. Biopsy involves removing one or more tiny pieces of your kidney with the guidance of renal (kidney) ultrasound. Pathologists then look at the tissue we remove under a microscope.

Often, the conditions we’re looking for affect both kidneys. But we only perform the biopsy on one of them. The test can give us enough information to make a diagnosis.

Biopsy is an outpatient procedure. You go home shortly after your doctors perform the test. Before your test, we reach out to you by phone to explain the procedure and answer any questions. You can also read our kidney biopsy information sheet to get more information.