Understanding Your Kidney Labs: eGFR, Creatinine, BUN, ACR & More | Kidney Function Test Explained

[@kekoal7300]

I was recently diagnosed with stage 3 CKD and am so glad I found your channel. I’ve read and watched so many videos about CKD and your video makes everything easier to understand. Thank you for putting out this information.

[@DADVICETV]

Glad it was helpful! Be careful of some channels pushing fake cures, fixes, etc. Always verify everything with your health care team (even if it is just your family doctor). Don't miss the live Q&A's with renal dietitian Jen Hernandez, usually the 2nd Tuesday of every month. It's 30 minutes of her taking questions from the viewers.

[@stevegambill5291]

Thank you for taking our questions. What does kidney function mean when only one kidney is affected by a stone, please? The other kidney is fine. Thanks for concisely explaining the function of iron also in building hemoglobin to help increase RBC’s.

[@rp7r54]

Thanks!

[@JillShepherd-or8lw]

Have CKD since 2014. My eGFR went from 31 to 17 in the last four months. At 17 I freaked out and got on a strict renal diet with lots of veggies and fruit. My current eGFR is 26. I feel better now. I have low hemoglobin 9.9 and am anemic because of the kidneys I do have kidney failure. I have a good attitude and still working hard on my renal diet. It is difficult but I do not want dialysis. And I do not qualify for transplant.

[@xd-zm5yu]

What you're secret bro?

[@zonrey2781]

You don’t have kidney failure yet. Instead of meat replace with legumes, beans, nuts, tofu. Wild salmon is good. If at times can’t resist meat, chicken, small portion is better than pork and meat. If your phosphorus blood level is high avoid dairy which is high in phosphorus same with meat.

[@howardhill3395]

Very helpful to understand what's behind the numbers and how they relate to each other. Thank you.

[@DADVICETV]

Glad it was helpful!

[@cynthiabragg2611]

Hello James and Dr Rosansky great show tonight.

[@DADVICETV]

Thanks!

[@CKingmon53]

I have been following this channel for over two years. Great advice as usual! I have Dr. Ro’s book, It contains wonderful information.

[@DADVICETV]

Thanks for being part of our amazing community!

[@missclarestube]

12 minutes in, so far, so much useful info. thank you so much. In a month I have gone from gfr 27 to 23 and it is worrying me and trying to wrack my brains of how this happened, i reduced my salt intake which lowered my bp. wonder if this caused it.

[@BG-tw9yl]

Hi James I always love to watch your talk with Dr. Rosansky please sometimes also talk about PKD diet to take,medication and supplements cause lots of inflammation at social media IAM confused. Help!

[@andrewslifestyle2289]

Watching from the Mediterranean island of Cyprus. Trying to find the Drs book here, if not when I get back Stateside. I’m being treated by a nephrologist here on the island. He and I are working on my kidney disease which has been decrease from a 5 to a 4 @ 18.5 GFR. Interested in reducing my Anemia and this Dr is helping.

[@angiekitson-harris4257]

What a wonderful and extremely interesting interview,.so much info to absorb but absolutely crucial to know to be able to discuss with personal doctor who, to be honest dont seem to have a clue about what they're talking about. And that's being nice. All they seem to do is scare you to death. Wish there was a Spanish version 0f this discussion to print out or even in English and I would gladly translate it to Spanish to help people with CKD here in Mexico. God bless you both 🙏🙏

[@Fishflorida59]

Isn’t a Cystatin C test a much more accurate test for GFR?

[@DADVICETV]

It's slightly more accurate, but your eGFR will always fluctuate. Focus on the trends and range, not an individual number. If you have an amputation, this is the test doctors will use to compensate for the lower muscle mass.

[@evelynsmiley4950]

Does that mean we need to excerise, to improve our creatine? Our muscles. Sorry about misspelling

[@Shellbee7927]

Thank you! Lots of good information. ❤

[@DADVICETV]

Thanks for your support!

[@easymoney1464]

My creatinine levels always run high normal and it kinda bothers me. [1.15 -1.24] I'm a male with a normal amount of muscle. Most guys are [0.8 to 1]; why am i so high?

[@DADVICETV]

There could be a lot of reasons. Creatinine is a normal byproduct from your muscles. If you are more active, your body will create more creatinine, also the more muscle mass of a person has the more they will naturally create. Some medications can cause it to increase, and some supplements included it, especially those designed to help body builders or give energy. Your doctor should be able to do labs and give you the best information on wire runs higher than average.

[@easymoney1464]

​@@DADVICETV Thanks! I'm going to get the cystatin c test done.

[@ivettesantana4319]

on 22:54 did he not mean UDER 60 W. PROTEIN IS KIDNEY DISEASE?

[@dlemmon1276]

So confused about water intake at CKD 3b!! Please clear this up. National kidney association says at this level you have to limit water. All others say 3 liters. Please help me understand this.

[@Fishflorida59]

There is a channel with a Korean doctor who may be able to help you, he does respond to you. It’s worth a try, I can’t give you the name because his channel has a Korean name but he does speak in English. Look up the video: Natural diet for kidney disease and I think his video will pop up.

[@dougmurrayshow]

Great video... thank you for making these videos...

[@DADVICETV]

Glad you like them!

[@carmenross1077]

Please do thisLab works again Doc and James

[@zonrey2781]

If GFR after multiple test 40-44. Does it mean with 2 kidneys, each kidney’s filtration rate is 20-22?

[@Knife_Collector]

Will supplements cause GFR and Creatinine to be off? Such as I take nattokinase to help lower BP and clean plaque in arteries. Also take a other supplements for blood pressure, and then some such as NAC, Quercetin and other antioxidants, and others, though none contains Creatinine. If Supplements which are helping to "clean" your body will cause readings to be off, can you do a video on this?

[@robjus1601]

Love you guys. Hope you can address protein levels again. Thanks

[@etsukosmith4219]

I really like your show.

[@joshuabradshaw9120]

When you mention not to significantly reduce protein intake, is that specific to animal or vegetable protein? Is vegetable protein better for your kidneys than animal protein? How do you get the right balance of nutrients on a plant based diet, while avoiding excessive potassium and phosphorus?

[@william78583]

Is it ok take 500mg Metformin in stage 3b, CKD resulted from HBP?

[@kevinerhart8461]

Great show a topic that I think should be a regular repeat.

[@DADVICETV]

Thanks!

[@EmilyFoxSeaton]

Is there a blood pressure medication that does not effect your kidneys? Where is the evidence that it is not these blood pressure medications that cause kidney damage -- instead of high blood pressure?

[@gissell920]

Right they had to change my moms bc it wasn’t until she was diagnosed kidney damaged that they watched out for that….

[@Wiscograndma]

I wonder the same thing my doctors keep skirting around the idea that it’s the blood pressure medicine and my blood pressure that’s making my creatinine go up. They’re trying to blame it on me taking Tylenol, but I haven’t taken that in years.

[@BecomingErica]

My doctor has prescribed Mounjaro and I’m wondering if it’s a good idea now that I hear the side effects. I have diabetes A1c 6.3 and eGFR 40.

[@dlemmon1276]

So dehydrated, and I drink 2.5 liters of water/daily - CKD 3b. I have no added salt in my diet and don't know how to stop my dehydration. What would you say about this?

[@conniewoods3274]

May need some celtic salt...one flake on tip of tongue so water can get in cells

[@vsandoval4900]

@@conniewoods3274thank you!!

[@vsandoval4900]

@@conniewoods3274thank you!!

[@IMChrysalis]

I was just thinking... have your doctor run your labs for electrolytes. I recently ended up in the ER because not just my blood sugar but my potassium was too low. I drank most of two quarts of juice, and was STILL thirsty!

[@zonrey2781]

Are you taking HCTZ a diuretic? If you’re taking 25 mg, ask doctor if maybe it’s contributing to dehydration. Ask about half the dosage 12.5 mg.

[@henryfanai7740]

Since uACR can overestimate or underestimate the result depending on the muscle mass of an individual, would you say that 24hour urine protein test is more accurate?

[@knowhatimeanverne691]

Is diltiazem bad for ckd3a??

[@Valsa2018]

Hi Dr Ro and James

[@daisybeeput2312]

From jamaica am 77 eGFR is 36 no protein in urine how badi is my kidneys.

[@l-bird]

That was a great conversation. Thanks. If I understood correctly, there is a dipstick test you can get on Amazon to test for protein in the urine. Do you know what dipstick test I should try to find? Thank you very much.

[@deborahholman9729]

Should I be concerned that I have GFR was 46.

[@DADVICETV]

It would depend on your age and if you have protein in your urine. If you are in your 20s-40s, I would be talking to my doctor about slowing the decline in kidney function. Same with having protein in your urine. If you are 70s and no (or trace) protein in your urine, you may be close to normal for your age. No matter what, it's always a good time to make sure your blood pressure is in check and your not doing anything bad for your kidneys.

[@Umbertomanens]

Hi guys from Italy ❤

[@DADVICETV]

Welcome - great to have you here! I’m planning to take my kids to Italy next summer for vacation, as well as retire there. Love the history, people, and food!

[@Umbertomanens]

@@DADVICETV we’re all waiting for you James…just tell us which part of the country will you be heading to…♥️♥️

[@evelynsmiley4950]

I wish you spell the name of the drugs, I have diabetes, kidney disease, arthritis, high blood pressure, I take 7 pills

[@ivettesantana4319]

symptoms showed up on at stage 2 GFR 89 then i got back up to 120 with they said was perfect then now back a year later at 79 and freaking out because i got everything else but can't get this protein in the urine to budge and i see it in my labs but the dr says nothing to me about it. smh

[@JesseM-m5i]

Hello you guys, it's nice to be back, hope you got something good to talk about today. Today's topic is Labs, I'm all in.👍

[@isabellozano9281]

Can Meds like omeprazole, Nexium and other meds for acid reflux make kidney disease worse?

[@cynthiabragg2611]

My nephrologist took me off of Omeprazole I was on it 5 years, he said it could cause issues, I switched to over the counter famotodine and luckily I had changed my diet and didn't have withdrawals.

[@EmilyFoxSeaton]

Yes. Omeprazole can. Get off it.

[@IreneHidalgo-f1r]

Can u help me I’m 64 and I have stage 2 what can I do? Please bell me

[@DADVICETV]

Stage 2 at 64 years old may actually be normal for your kidneys. If you do not have protein in your urine, eating a heart-healthy diet and staying active while controlling blood pressure should help keep your kidneys happy. If you do have protein in your urine, talk to your doctor about medications to reduce that. Check out more of Dr. Ro's interviews - he talks about how he would not consider you to have CKD unless you also have protein in your urine.

[@IreneHidalgo-f1r]

@@DADVICETV how can I lower cholesterol’s

[@shirleyjones34]

How do I get my protein checked?

[@DADVICETV]

Your family doctor can do a urine test - really easy.

[@zonrey2781]

Urine test called microalbumin/creatinine, urine ratio. The best specimen is the first pee in the morning in a sterile cup from a lab. It’s the best indicator on how fast one is headed towards kidney failure or dialysis. Mine was very high, 840 first time it was checked. I was prescribed Jardiance, one of SLGT2 drugs. Two months on Jardiance, my number was 248. It was checked this month and now down to 70. Hoping when checked in 6 months it would be lower. I also went on plant based kidney health diet restricting protein to 40-45. My CBC numbers are all fine.

[@pauletteschiowitz8989]

James,are you allowed bread? If so, what kind?

[@DADVICETV]

It all comes down to the nutrients in the foods you eat. With bread I look for low sodium. My daily sodium target is 1800mg, so I keep an eye on all my sodium to not exceed that number (or not exceed it often). Fast food and heavily processed foods are a challenge since they usually are high in a lot of the things we watch out for, and low in the good things.

[@RickWinsbury]

What is ace or R

[@DADVICETV]

Ace & Arbs are 2 types of very common, and very CHEAP, blood pressure medications. They end in Pril or Tan and kidney patients are on one or the other to control blood pressure or control protein in the urine. This is typically the first medication a person is placed on (one or the other)

[@RickWinsbury]

@DADVICETV I am not on any Phil or tan meds? Yet struggle with High Blood Pressure. Stage 4 kidney, GFR 15. Use to be on losartan at stage 3. But taken off why wasnt I put on something different?

[@RickWinsbury]

@DADVICETV am taking 11 meds, maybe one of those not ending in tan or phil?

[@carmenross1077]

My PTH level is high, 70 y/0 CKD 3and 4.proteinuria is high

[@evelynsmiley4950]

If dialysis is started, can it be reversed?

[@Faisal-b5l]

I had 2 big renal stones, one was 2.8 the other one was 2.5...i did pcnl....my pre pcnl creatinine was 1.6....so after pcnl next day it dropped to 1.3 and my urologist saying...it will further drop to 1 or 1.1 and settle to this number.....is that true ?

[@debbiehempele3536]

Hello how are you

[@ivettesantana4319]

He is in favor of plant based diets although they increase oxalatates, yet says you should not be going low protein? Then says HDL should be higher when is LDL that is good to be high because cholesterol is protective. Yet lots of ppl on carnivore, healed their kidney disease.. Make it make sense please.

[@jhouck4828]

Can taking a creatine supplement cause kidney problems

[@DADVICETV]

Taking it will artificially show your kidney function lower due to it making it way into you blood, but it isn’t harmful to the average person. Let your doctor know you take it so they can use a different (and far more expensive) test for kidney function.

[@jhouck4828]

Thanks

[@jhouck4828]

Thanks

[@larry1992]

These videos seem more to sell books than to give specific kidney answers.

[@tommaenpaa6601]

This was not one of the better broadcasts. In my opinion, much of the material was not cohesive or well organized. In the end, I still didn't know how to meaningful interpret much of my last lab report. My loss.

[@paulakintigh3298]

I wish the Doc would just tell us the information and not play quiz games! Great info here tho.