Kidney Disease Tests & Kidney Disease Treatments at University of Colorado Hospital
Tests for Kidney Disease
Blood tests are required to detect kidney disease. These tests show build-ups of substances in the blood. This is a sign that your kidneys are not working as well as they should.
Tests for kidney disease include:
- Fasting blood glucose to measure the levels of sugar in the blood
- Blood urea nitrogen (BUN) test to measure levels of urea, a waste product
- Creatinine clearance test to measure levels of creatinine, another waste product
- Urinalysis to detect protein in the urine
- Tests for elevated levels of electrolytes, such as potassium and sodium
- Ultrasound to get pictures of the kidneys
Your doctor may also order a biopsy of your kidney. This requires getting a piece of kidney tissue. Examining the tissue can help doctors to identify the cause of the disease.
Treatments for Kidney Disease
Your doctor may treat your kidney disease by controlling your diabetes and high blood pressure with medication, diet and exercise.
If your kidney disease becomes severe, you may have to use dialysis to eliminate the waste materials in your blood.
Dialysis cleanses the blood and return it to the body using a machine. You will have to receive dialysis treatment on a regular basis. If you have a severely damaged kidney, you will need an organ transplant from another body.