Diabetic nephropathyDiabetic kidney disease, DKDKidney damage caused by diabetes. It is silent in the early stages and is found by a urine test, not by symptoms.
Microalbuminuria
Also known as Moderately increased albuminuria, Albumin-to-creatinine ratio, ACR
Small amounts of the protein albumin leaking into urine — the earliest detectable sign that diabetes is affecting the kidneys.
Healthy kidneys keep albumin in the blood. When their filters are damaged, traces appear in the urine long before any blood test changes and long before the patient feels anything.
It is measured as a ratio of albumin to in a single urine sample, so it needs no 24-hour collection.
Related terms
- ProteinuriaProtein in urine, AlbuminuriaProteinuria means protein is leaking into the urine, which healthy kidneys prevent. It is one of the earliest signs of kidney damage, often appearing long before any symptom does.
- CreatinineSerum creatinine, S. CrCreatinine is a waste product from normal muscle activity that the kidneys filter out of the blood. Because healthy kidneys clear it steadily, the level in blood is the standard everyday measure of how well they are working.
- UrinalysisUrine test, Urine R/EUrinalysis is examination of the urine — by dipstick, under a microscope, or by culture. It is a quick, cheap test that reports on the kidneys, the urinary tract and sometimes on conditions well beyond them.