The most common and simple analysis that a doctor prescribes for suspected pathology of the internal organs is a urinalysis. It can show sugar levels, white blood cells and protein. Proteins should not be normal in urine - everyone knows this. But there are exceptions. Protein in the urine of a child is often associated with improper sampling of material for analysis, in a woman's urine - with pregnancy. But in a man’s urine, protein can be detected after training in the gym. So let's look at the causes that lead to abnormalities of the protein in the urine. And at the same time when it becomes a pathology. What does protein in urine mean and how to properly select material for analysis - this is the topic of this article.
Squirrels are our everything
You will be surprised, but until 1928 it was proteins - the chains of amino acids that form complex tertiary and quaternary structures - that were considered the carrier of hereditary information. Today, everyone knows that deoxyribonucleic acids (DNA) are responsible for heredity. In that distant year, the bacteriologist from England F. Griffith was the first to doubt the role of proteins as carriers of the genome.
Proteins are polymer biomolecules consisting of the 21st amino acid in our body. They perform many functions: catalysis (enzymes), structural organization (membrane proteins), contractile (actin and myosin of our muscles), protective (antibodies that provide immunity), signaling (rhodopsin in the retina receptors), regulatory (hormones), transport (red blood cells), energy and storage (albumin and ferritin).
That is why proteins in our body are everywhere and they make up about 15% of our body weight. Proteins are also present in urine, because it is a natural physiological fluid. And the norm of their content in the first morning urine should be 0.33 g / l.
Proteinuria
This is what doctors call elevated protein levels in urine. The causes of increased protein in the urine can be both physiological and pathological. The first appear in healthy people, and the second - against the background of various diseases.
In addition, it also happens that the level of proteins in the urine is reduced, that is, below the norm. And the causes of this phenomenon can also be physiological (dehydration, starvation, taking certain drugs, lactation and pregnancy). As well as pathological, when the proteins in the body are destroyed and are not absorbed back into the blood (organ pathologies, oncology, diabetes, thermal burns, frostbite, blood loss and injury). Nevertheless, a low level of protein in the urine is more rare than their high content.
What can be considered the norm?
The concept of a normal state of an organism is relative. That is why the doctor carefully collects an anamnesis during examination and diagnosis of the patient. That the norm for a diabetic is not at all normal for a person who does not suffer from this pathology.
On average, the protein norm in the urine of an adult woman is 0.1 g / l. However, urinary protein levels during pregnancy range from 0.3 g / l in the first trimester to 0.5 g / l in late pregnancy.
The protein content in the urine of an adult male should normally be no more than 0.3 g / l.
In a child, the protein in the urine should not exceed a threshold of 0.33 g / l.
There is another indicator that is important for diagnosis. This is a loss of protein per day. Daily loss of protein in the urine normally ranges from 50-140 mg.
The correct collection of material is the key to the quality of analysis
It is during the collection of urine that many make mistakes that lead to unreasonable anxiety about the detection of proteins in the urine.
Simple rules will help to properly collect urine for general analysis:
- The day before the delivery of urine, it is advisable to exclude from the diet all products that can give it an unnatural color (beets, marinades, sweets, smoked foods).
- During the same time, do not drink alcohol and caffeinated drinks.
- Before taking the test, you should not take dietary supplements and diuretics.
- It is necessary to refrain from physical exertion, overheating or hypothermia.
- Before collecting the first morning urine, it is advisable to wash and collect it in a special sterile container.
- It is important to collect an average portion of urine.
- Store urine for more than 2 hours is not recommended.
When can protein be present in urine (for physiological reasons)?
Even if all the rules are followed, the protein in the urine may be high in the following situations:
- Psycho-emotional stress.
- Physical exercise.
- Staying under the influence of direct ultraviolet rays.
- You are pregnant, but do not know about it yet. Proteins in the urine during pregnancy, as we recall, are elevated.
- The doctor too actively felt the kidneys when examined on the eve of the analysis.
- Even if in the morning you had a contrast shower.
Other causes not of a physiological nature
If a protein in the general analysis of urine is detected, but:
- In addition to protein, there are also white blood cells - pyelonephritis is possible.
- In addition to protein, red blood cells are present - most likely, you have granulonephritis or urolithiasis.
In both cases, the patient is disturbed by pain in the lumbar region, fever, weakness, chills, less commonly, nausea and vomiting. In the first case, inflammation is localized in the renal pelvis, where urine is collected from the many structural units of the kidney - nephrons. In the second case, the glomeruli of the nephrons become inflamed.
Other types of pathological proteinuria
The diseases associated with the functioning of the urinary system, listed above, are not the only ones that give high levels of protein in the urine. In addition to them, you can list the following:
- Inflammatory processes in the prostate gland in men.
- Injuries and specific damage to the kidneys.
- Concussion and epilepsy.
- Infections accompanied by fever and fever.
- Allergic immune reactions - Quincke's edema and anaphylactic shock.
- Hypertension in the second and third stages of the development of the disease.
- Endocrine pathologies - diabetes, hyper- and hypoavitaminosis.
- Obesity in the last stages.
- General intoxication of the body.
- Acute inflammation in the lower digestive tract.
- Systemic diseases - rheumatoid arthritis and scleroderma.
- Oncological pathologies.
This is what protein in urine means, but only a specialist should establish the diagnosis, taking into account the general history, examination of the patient and other types of tests.
Scary Bens Jones Protein
This is an immunoglobulin of type K and X. It is it that is found in the urine in cases of myeloma (oncological skin pathology). It is produced by blood plasma cells, it has a small molecular weight and therefore stands out well with urine.
It is this protein that is the main tumor marker in determining plasma myeloma. Elderly people are more likely to suffer from it, and earlier detection of this pathology gives a very positive prognosis.
And for expectant mothers, an increase in protein levels is not harmful?
During pregnancy, the whole body of a woman is rebuilt, all his forces are aimed at maintaining the normal development of the fetus. And the kidneys in this period begin to work in an enhanced mode.
Analysis of urine in pregnant women may in the early stages reveal various pathologies in the functioning of the urinary system. At this stage, a mild degree of proteinuria or mycoalbuminuria (urinary albumin content) is practically the norm. But if this condition persists for a long time, this should be alarming. If there is anemia, nephropathy, very fast fatigue and drowsiness, frequent dizziness, these symptoms may indicate the initial stages of diabetes mellitus or heart failure. And this already poses a serious threat to the development and bearing of the fetus.
That's why gynecologists send a pregnant woman for urine analysis every trimester, even if all the other indicators are normal.
In addition, jumps in blood pressure characteristic of pregnancy can also affect protein in the urine. Therefore, each responsible expectant mother is obliged to regularly visit a doctor, follow all his recommendations, monitor pressure, follow a low-salt diet enriched with vitamins.
When to think about taking an analysis?
Despite the causes that cause proteinuria, there are symptoms of this pathology that are characteristic of both adults and children:
- Continuous feeling of weakness.
- Drowsiness during periods not characteristic of sleep.
- Decreased appetite.
- Attacks of nausea and painful vomiting.
- Fever and chills.
- Swelling of the upper and lower extremities, sometimes right in the morning.
- Increased sweating.
- Non-characteristic systemic pains in the joints and muscles (proteins just accumulate in the joints, most often fingers and hands).
But with the urine, certain characteristic changes occur:
- When shaking the liquid, a lot of foam forms - this is proteins.
- A whitish precipitate is found in the urine - in the urine, in addition to proteins, there are white blood cells.
- The urine is cloudy and dark in color - red blood cells give color.
- The specific smell of ammonia during urination can be a signal for the development of diabetes.
What to do?
First of all, do not panic and consult a doctor (general practitioner or nephrologist) whom you trust. After completing the entire course of examination and testing, the doctor will make a diagnosis. There is only one way to lower the level of proteins in the urine - to remove the cause of their appearance.
And there is no single recipe in this case. But even before the main diagnosis is made, it is advisable to exclude from the diet all spicy and salty, marinades and smoked meats, alcohol and coffee.
Today, according to the statistics of the World Health Organization, there are not many pathologies in the world that can not be treated or corrected with the correct, timely diagnosis and patient compliance with all the doctor's prescriptions.
Ignoring high proteins in the urine can be detrimental to your health. Therefore, when they are detected, a reanalysis is first assigned. And, probably, you just collected the material is not quite right. Take care of your loved ones and be healthy!