KIDNEY FUNCTION TEST

A Kidney Function Test is an important tool in the early detection of kidney infections and kidney diseases. Kidney infections and diseases are one of the most devastating complications of diabetes. Early detection is a vital first step in the prevention of further kidney damage. KidneyScreen At Home© Kidney Test provides this early warning by measuring the microalbumin level in your urine. A Kidney Function Test that you perform in your home.

The kidneys, the body's filtration system, perform many vital functions including removing metabolic waste products from the bloodstream, regulating the body's water balance, and maintaining the pH level of the body's fluids. Approximately one and a half quarts of blood per minute are circulated through the kidneys, where waste chemicals are filtered out and eliminated from the body (along with excess water) in the form of urine. A Kidney Function Test helps to determine if the kidneys are performing their tasks adequately.

With the KidneyScreen At Home© Kidney Function Test you can collect a urine sample in the privacy of your home. The special collection device allows you to mail your urine sample in a dried state to a CLIA certified laboratory. Your sample will be processed within 48 hours and the results will be mailed back to you and your physician.

A major cause of kidney damage is diabetes. Kidney damage caused by diabetes, called diabetic nephropathy, can occur in several ways. The typical form of diabetic nephropathy, called diabetic glomerulosclerosis, has large amounts of urine protein and is slowly progressive. It usually doesn't occur until after many years of diabetes, and can be delayed by tight control of your blood sugar. Usually the best lab test for early detection of diabetic nephropathy is measurement of microalbumin (protein) in the urine.

The American Diabetes Association and the American Kidney Foundation recommend that any person who has had diabetes for more than 5 years or who is past puberty be tested for microalbuminuria annually.

According to the American Diabetes Association, 20% - 30% of individuals with diabetes develop kidney disease. Even so, studies have shown that only one out of every 10 patients with diabetes has a microalbumin test (a kidney function test measuring protein levels) performed annually as recommended. This is due to a number of reasons including a lack of awareness about the importance of the test as well as the inconvenience of the 24-hour urine collection often required by traditional laboratories.

With a KidneyScreen At Home© Kidney FunctionTest the choice to protect your kidneys becomes an easy one to make. The kit allows you to collect a urine sample in the privacy of your home and mail it in a dried state to the FlexSite Diagnostics CLIA licensed clinical laboratory for microalbumin testing. The results are quickly mailed to both you and your physician so you can work together to determine if further testing or treatment is required. The KidneyScreen At Home© Kidney Function Test is reasonably priced at $24.95.