Our kidneys help in the regulation of salts and water present in our bodies. There are millions of structures known as nephrons through which the kidneys filter the blood. Certain waste materials from the body are also passed out through the kidneys. The urine that we pass out comprises of excess waste products which are flushed into our bladder by the kidneys.
A kidney function blood test helps check if the kidneys are functioning properly. The kidney blood test results tell us the level of urea and creatinine present. The test also measures the level of certain salts such as potassium, chloride, sodium, and bicarbonate.
Blood tests for kidney problems are quite common and are done:
Sometimes the routine kidney blood test is a general test to tell us how the kidneys are functioning. If the kidney blood test functions are abnormal they may not indicate what the cause of your kidney problem is. Your doctor will then recommend that you go in for some further tests such as x-rays, kidney biopsy, blood tests, scans, and urine tests.
Blood tests such as BUN or Blood Urea Nitrogen help assess whether the kidneys are functioning properly or not. The urea is formed in the liver and the kidneys do the function of filtering it from our blood. It is then flushed out of our bodies through the urine. The normal ranges for a BUN test is between 7-20 mg/dl.
Another blood test called the Serum Creatinine helps in the evaluation of your kidneys. The kidneys help keep the blood creatinine stable and these levels go up if there is some problem in the functioning of your kidneys. Serum Creatinine is a good test to evaluate the levels of creatinine in your body and is preferred to the BUN test as far as evaluating the kidney is concerned. The normal range varies depending on your gender. It is 0.6-0.9 mg/dl for females and 0.8-1.2 mg/dl for females.