Thursday, September 13, 2012

Excellent Control.


I nearly missed the appointment with the Consultant Physician as l misplaced the appointment card before I left for Saudi Arabia mid July.

13 September 2012 was the appointed date and I was on time for the blood extraction, two (2) hours after lunch pre consultation.

The result was very encouraging, perhaps the one (1) month fasting during Ramadan was the contributing factor.

Blood pressure - 130/80   NORMAL.
Glucose – 5.5     (3.9 – 7.8).
Glucose (conventional – 99    (72 – 141).

Creatinine (urine) – 4605    (2652 – 11050).
Microalbumin – 22.8    (< 30.0).
Microalbumin / Creatinine Ratio – 4.95    (<3.40).

Glycated Haemoglobin – 6.8    (Satisfactory control – 6.5 – 7.5).
HbA1C – 51    (Satisfactory control - 48 – 58).

For a 66+ year old man, the above results should be considered AOK. I just have to further reduce the creatinine value in the urine to bring down the microalbumin / creatinine ratio reading. That is the most difficult part as I have to reduce the protein intake.

The next appointment would be on 06 December 2012.

Note to Readers who do not know what is Microalbumin / Creatinine Ratio.
A urine microalbumin test reveals important information about your kidneys. 

Healthy kidneys filter waste products from your blood. If your kidneys become damaged, some of these waste products may remain in your blood. At the same time, a type of protein called albumin (al-BU-min) — which should stay in your blood — leaks into your urine. The microalbumin test detects this protein. Often, an elevated microalbumin level is the first sign of kidney damage. 

Regular urine microalbumin tests are often recommended for people who have type 1 or type 2 diabetes. Urine microalbumin tests are also recommended for people who have high blood pressure (hypertension). Both diabetes and high blood pressure — among many possible causes — can damage the kidneys
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What It Is

A microalbumin-to-creatinine ratio urine test involves measuring the amount of a protein called albumin in the urine. The amount of urine albumin is compared with the quantity of a waste product in the urine called cretonne.

The body normally filters out creatinine in the urine at a steady rate, so comparing the ratio of urine albumin with creatinine in the same urine specimen helps determine if the body is excreting albumin at an increased rate. If this is occurring it may be the result of kidney disease.

In most healthy people, the kidneys prevent albumin and other proteins from entering the urine. However, if kidneys are damaged and start to allow proteins to pass from the blood into the urine, the first type of protein to appear in the urine is albumin. This is because albumin molecules are smaller than most other protein molecules.

The consistent presence of small amounts of albumin in the urine is called microalbuminuria and is associated with early-stage kidney disease. Once there are larger amounts of albumin in the urine it is called macroalbuminuria and it could indicate more severe kidney disease.

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