I am in the process of doing the weirdest test I have ever heard of. I have to collect every drop of urine for the next 24 hours and bring it to the lab. It is because I was diagnosed with high blood pressure at the perinatologists yesterday. Has anyone had to do this and what is creatine?
Re: urine collection for 24 hours?
Creatinine, not creatine. Creatine is a banned dietary supplement used by athletes who are roiding. It is also made by your body's muscles.
A 24 hour urine looks at the amount of protein your kidneys allow to pass through them during that period of time. It's more accurate than a urine dip because the protein changes at any given point in time. The more protein in the urine, the more kidney damage. This test is used in hypertension, pre-eclampsia, kidney transplant, and kidney failure patients. And lupus. If you have a disease listed above before pregnancy, they want a baseline to see how it changes if you appear to be worsening later on. For most people, except those starting with a higher number, 300mg is the cut off for pre-eclampsia, which is what the test is most often used for. These conditions have a higher risk for pre-e so they all should get it. Severe pre-e is diagnosed when protein is greater than 5g (5000mg). To have pre-e, you must also have elevated bp and sometimes other lab abnormalities. Creatinine is a marker of kidney function and is often elevated in pre-e.