What laboratory test evaluates kidney function and is a breakdown product of protein?

What laboratory test evaluates kidney function and is a breakdown product of protein?

• A. Glucose
• B. SGTP (ALT)
• C. Creatinine
• D. BUN

Answer: (D)

Kidney function is assessed by looking at waste products the kidneys normally clear from the blood. One such waste product is urea, formed in the liver from the breakdown of protein. The test that measures how much urea nitrogen is present in the blood is the BUN test. When the kidneys aren’t filtering well, or when protein intake is high or a person is dehydrated, BUN levels rise. This makes BUN a useful marker for renal function. Creatinine, another commonly used kidney function marker, comes from muscle metabolism and is a bit less influenced by protein intake or hydration, but it is not the breakdown product of protein in the same way urea is. Glucose and ALT are unrelated to assessing kidney function.

Kidney function is assessed by looking at waste products the kidneys normally clear from the blood. One such waste product is urea, formed in the liver from the breakdown of protein. The test that measures how much urea nitrogen is present in the blood is the BUN test. When the kidneys aren’t filtering well, or when protein intake is high or a person is dehydrated, BUN levels rise. This makes BUN a useful marker for renal function.

Creatinine, another commonly used kidney function marker, comes from muscle metabolism and is a bit less influenced by protein intake or hydration, but it is not the breakdown product of protein in the same way urea is. Glucose and ALT are unrelated to assessing kidney function.