Microalbumin Urine Test

Microalbumin Urine Test Helps Detect Kidney Disorder

Also known as: Microalbumin, urine microalbumin

If you have been diagnosed with diabetes, your doctor may order a microalbumin urine test to screen you for microalbuminuria, a kidney disorder that, left untreated, could result in kidney failure. The test, also known as urine microalbumin or simply microalbumin, determines whether or not your urine contains small amounts of a protein called albumin, which under normal circumstances is not present.

How to Prepare

For this test, you will need to collect a urine specimen. The lab can provide you with an appropriate container for your urine or you can use any large, clean, leak-proof container.

• You do not need to schedule an appointment with the lab.
• The night prior to your lab visit, urinate just before you go to bed. Do not collect this urine, but do note the time.
• Collect all urine through the night by urinating into the container.
• When you wake up in the morning, collect any more urine in the same container and note the time.
• Record the date and the bedtime and morning time of urination as well as your name, height and weight on a label and affix it to the urine container.
• Keep the specimen in a cool place. You should take the container to the lab for testing the same day you complete your collection.
• Arrive at the lab, register at the desk and turn in your specimen.

Time Required

Your time in the lab is limited to the few minutes it takes to sign, register with admitting and leave your specimen. Results from the test are typically sent to your doctor within days; be assured, however, that any critical results are communicated immediately. Your doctor will discuss your test results with you once he or she has reviewed them.

Requirements

Michigan law requires that a valid order signed by an authorized person be presented before any laboratory test or procedure can be conducted. Authorized persons are defined as physicians, physician assistants, or nurse practitioners. These professionals are legally responsible for interpreting the results of tests based on their knowledge of the individual patient.