Diabetes Health Center

How It Feels

There is no discomfort while collecting a urine sample.

Risks

There is no chance of problems while collecting a urine sample.

Results

A microalbumin test checks urine for the presence of a protein called albumin. Microalbuminuria is most often caused by kidney damage from diabetes.

The normal values listed here-called a reference range-are just a guide. These ranges vary from lab to lab, and your lab may have a different range for what’s normal. Your lab report should contain the range your lab uses. Also, your doctor will evaluate your results based on your health and other factors. This means that a value that falls outside the normal values listed here may still be normal for you or your lab.

Normal results may vary depending on:

• The laboratory.
• The type (random versus timed) of urine sample collected.
• The time of day of the sample.
• Whether you are male or female.
• Whether you are on bed rest or able to move about normally.

Higher-than-normal values

You may need more than one test to find out how well your kidneys are working.

• If your results are higher than normal, your doctor may check your urine more often to watch for kidney damage.
• If you have 2 or 3 high results in a 3- to 6-month period and you have diabetes, your doctor may find kidney damage (diabetic nephropathy). Even though diabetes is the most common reason for high results, there are many other kidney problems that can cause high results.

Pregnant women with diabetes may have their urine checked to watch for high amounts of albumin.

What Affects the Test

Reasons you may not be able to have the test or why the results may not be helpful include:

• Having high blood sugar levels, urinary tract infections, high blood pressure, heart failure, or a high fever during an infection.
• Exercising just before the test.
• Taking medicines, such as aspirin, corticosteroids, or some antibiotics, such as amoxicillin.
• Having menstrual bleeding or vaginal discharge, which may temporarily affect the urine sample.

What To Think About

• The American Diabetes Association recommends a microalbumin urine test for people with:
  • Type 2 diabetes: First at diagnosis, and then yearly for diabetic nephropathy.
  • Type 1 diabetes: Yearly screening for diabetic nephropathy should begin 5 years after diagnosis.
• If a microalbumin urine test shows that kidney damage may be present, a test to check creatinine levels may be done. A blood test for creatinine is done along with a 24-hour creatinine clearance urine test to check kidney function. For more information, see the topic Creatinine and Creatinine Clearance.
• A less precise test, the urine dipstick test, can be used to check for microalbuminuria in a single sample of urine. But the dipstick test does not accurately detect microalbuminuria and is not recommended in place of a microalbumin urine test.