What is Proteinuria?

Proteinuria is an excess of protein in the blood. Protein is an important component in our blood, as it carries food, hormones, and many other things through our blood stream.

Once the blood is cleansed of excess wastes, the proteins will continue to flow through the body, carrying out their important functions. Protein is not filtered out of the body, as the large protein molecules are too big to through the tiny kidneys.

When there has been damage to the kidneys, depending on the cause, you may develop protein in your urine.

What causes it?

About 25% of all the blood the heart pumps every day flows through the kidneys. There, the blood is filtered through small vessels called glomeruli. Normally, the" filtering slits" in these glomeruli are big enough to let water and waste products through, but small enough to keep the red blood cells and almost all of the protein in the bloodstream. Proteinuria can be caused by changes in the size of these filtering slits or by illness that damaged the kidney and its glomeruli. Other causes of proteinuria include medications that may damage the kidney, or being born within abnormally shaped or functioning set of kidneys. One common cause of proteinuria in adults is long-standing diabetes mellitus.

What are the Symptoms?

People who have moderate amounts of protein in their urine may have no symptoms whatsoever. Those with large amounts of protein in their urine may develop swelling around their eyes, their abdomen, or their feet. This is due to water retention and will cause them to gain weight and perhaps feel more tired than usual. The large amounts of protein in their urine may cause abnormal amounts of bubbles to be present in the toilet after they urinate. Occasionally, these people may retain enough fluid so that it goes to their lungs and causes difficulty breathing.*

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