BUN / Creatinine Ratio

What are the other names for this test?

Blood Urea Nitrogen, Urea Nitrogen, BUN to Creatinine Ratio, BUN

What is a BUN test?

A Blood Urea Nitrogen (BUN) determines the quantity of urea nitrogen in your blood. It gives information about the working conditions of the kidney and liver. Urea nitrogen is a waste product that develops during the breakdown of proteins in your blood. It produces by the liver. It filters from the healthy kidney and comes into the urine. The presence of some urea in your blood is not an issue. If you have high-value urea nitrogen in your blood, this may indicate a problem in your kidney.

What is a creatinine test?

Creatinine is a type of waste product that develops during the activity of muscles. Creatinine is present in your blood, like urea. Your kidneys purify it and push it out through the urine. The creatinine level in blood may vary with a person's muscle mass.
Creatinine levels do not change due to muscle mass remaining uniform in general. Its high value in the blood may occur due to a disease of kidney function.

What is a BUN/Creatinine Ratio test?

A BUN/Creatinine ratio is a combination of BUN and creatinine tests. Your healthcare provider gets a fraction of both tests to judge the functions of kidneys. BUN and creatinine tests may be utilized separately to check kidney and liver disease. But their combinations provide detailed knowledge to your provider about your kidney health. A BUN/Creatinine ratio helps your doctor diagnose and give you treatment for your kidney-related problems in a short time.

What is the use of the BUN/Creatinine test?

A BUN test is often conducted as a part of the BMP or CMP. These tests possess eight and fourteen measurements of different substances, respectively. Your provider recommends this test if you experience signs and symptoms of kidney disease. A test panel with BUN measurement helps to identify symptoms of kidney problems or monitor them in the emergency room.


When should I need this test?

Your provider may ask to place the order for BUN measurement besides screening tests if you experience risk factors for kidney disease, including diabetes, a family history of kidney-related problems, or cardiovascular problems, such as high blood pressure. Your healthcare provider recommends the BUN-Creatinine ratio test to
 

• Diagnoses the reason for already developed symptoms of disease related to kidney like changes in the urinary tract, muscle cramps, swelling in the legs, or increased fatigue
• Screen the conditions before symptoms of kidney disease.
• Monitor the urea in your blood to get treatment for kidney problems

If you ever had an abnormal BUN test result, your provider may suggest you repeat this test regularly to determine your condition and present kidney function.

How do I need to perform a BUN/Creatinine Ratio test?

You may need to provide a blood sample to your provider for a BUN test. A small needle is inserted in a vein in your arm to collect a blood sample in a test tube. A bandage applies to your vein. The test does not take time greater than 5 minutes.

How to prepare for the test?

Your doctor instructs you to avoid any medicine before the blood test. You can eat or drink during the BUN/Creatinine ratio test. Dehydration in your body may change the results of the test. A high level of protein intake before the test may lead to high BUN test results. A low-protein diet can be the reason for low BUN levels. You should be hydrated and take a balanced amount of protein before the test.

Is there any risk to the test?

A BUN is a blood test that does not have a high risk. You may experience a little pain at the point in your vein from where the blood collects. A chance of bleeding or bruising may also occur, but generally, these signs do not last long.

What are my BUN/Creatinine Ratio test results mean?

Your lab care will get the results of BUN and Creatinine tests. The lab care will divide the BUN count by the creatinine count. Your body produces more BUN compared to creatinine.

The recommended ratio for a person is between 10:1 and 20:1. If results are higher than this, you have high BUN in your blood. It may indicate that there is no proper rate of flow of blood reaching your kidneys. A high ratio occurs due to gastrointestinal bleeding, extreme dehydration, or heart failure. Having a low value of BUN/Creatinine ratio can indicate liver disease.

What else do I need to know about a BUN/Creatinine test?

This test provides the ratio of BUN to Creatinine to observe your kidney function. Your provider may suggest another test if you have severe kidney disease. The additional tests may include GFR (Glomerular Filtration Rate), which checks the correct amount of filtering blood by your kidneys.

If you see the symptoms of kidney disease, you can visit UmbrellaMD to get the order for the lab test. Getting complete information and treatment for diseases and their lab tests is essential. Umbrella Health Care Systems is an online healthcare provider that provides an opportunity to make an online appointment with a doctor. Your doctor will understand your test results and give treatment after an online meetup. You may learn more about the lab tests and details of the e-consultation service here.