Your health care provider will need to check the functioning of your kidneys with a microalbuminuria test. Kidneys filter waste products from the blood stream leaving behind useful protein and red blood cells in the blood. The waste material becomes part of the urine. If the kidneys begin to break down, they are no longer able to efficiently filter the blood and the useful proteins become part of the urine as well. Your urine should be checked annually by your doctor for microalbuminuria (small amounts of protein in the urine). If left untreated, microalbuminuria can lead to kidney disease and blood will need to be filtered by a machine (dialysis).

     Visit these sites for more information:
         American Diabetes Association – Kidney Disease
         National Diabetes Information Clearinghouse – Keep Your Kidneys Healthy
         Medline Plus – Microalbuminuria Test
         National Kidney and Urologic Diseases Clearinghouse –
         • Dialysis
         • Kidney Disease of Diabetes


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