Many patients that came in for a checkup with us have found out that they have problems with their kidney function. Such problem might be discovered from the high functional kidney rate. Some may be discovered from the low Estimated Glomerular Filtration Rate (eGFR). Nonetheless, these abnormal results all represent an increasing burden for the kidney. In this article, we will be discussing different test on the kidney function.

1. Blood Urea Nitrogen or BUN is a test that measures the amount of urea in your blood. Urea is produced when protein is digested in your liver then broken down in your kidney. Getting high result from this test may indicate uremic, the state of getting too much protein, dehydration, an effect from the certain medication. The high result from this test may even be found in patients with diabetes or high blood pressure.
2. Creatinine is a waste molecule that is produced from muscle metabolism and disposed through the kidney. If you ran a test and found a high level of creatinine, it would indicate that your kidney function is decreasing or you are at risk of uremic. Conducting a test on creatinine is great for screening patients. High level of creatinine is usually found in patients with diabetes, high blood pressure, dehydration, or as a result of some medication that affects the kidney and/or the muscle metabolism. Low level of creatinine usually indicates weakness or amyotrophy.
3. Uric Acid is produced from the purine in protein, the breakdown of the food that we ate such as meat (especially entrails) and certain kind of vegetables (such as asparagus, peanut, morning glory, cauliflower, and acacia.) Uric is disposed through the kidney. If something goes wrong with the kidney function, the uric level will get higher.
4. Glomerular Filtration Rate (GFR) or Estimated Glomerular Filtration Rate (eGFR) is the estimation of how much blood passes through the glomeruli in one minute. It is one of the best tests in checking kidney function. It can also indicate the stage of Chronic Kidney Disease (CKD) as follows:

• 1st stage – normal functionality of kidney (GFR shows more or equal to 90 mL/min)
• 2nd stage – some abnormality with kidney function (GFR 60-89 mL/min)
• 3rd stage – medium abnormality with kidney function (GFR 30-59 mL/min)
• 4th stage – high abnormality with kidney function (GFR 15-29 mL/min)
• 5th stage – the last stage that requires kidney dialysis (GFR is less than 15 mL/min)

One thing that we would like to share with those who are entering uremic (the 5th stage) is that food is also important. We are certain that many of you take a lot of caution when it comes to food. Be careful on the intake of protein and calories. Try to stay away from food with sodium or salty taste. The most important of all, try to avoid food with high potassium like certain vegetables such as asparagus, mushroom, broccoli, cauliflower, carrot, spinach, morning glory, cabbage, kale, canton, chayote leaves, agasta leaves, and celery; or certain fruits such as banana, tomato, potato, pumpkin, and avocado.

Last but not least, please take care of your body and your kidney before it is too late. Try to go for a checkup regularly, so you know what kind of precautions you need to take. Do not wait until you get sick.