Lab Work Showed Kidney Functions Not Good. Can It Be Due To Dehydration?

Posted on Thu, 23 May 2013

Question: I had lab work done last week...and it came back that my kidney functions were not great. I referee soccer at the college level...and one day before my lab test it was 90 degrees outside and I had dry mouth. do you think the lab test a day later was inaccurate because I got dehydrated ?

Answered by Dr. Dr. Ivan Romich (1 hour later)

Hi and welcome to XXXXXXX
Yes, it can be caused by dehydration,but you didnt mention which tests exactly were done and what are findings. You probably meant urea and creatinine blood levels.
Urea is reabsorbed by the kidney. In dehydration, as water decreases and urea is reabsorbed, the urea rises. Eventually, the creatinine will rise too but it doesn't increase in magnitude as fast as the BUN. The urea/creatinine ratio when it's greater than 20:1, this suggests dehydration. Also there can be electrolyte abnormality too if you are dehydrated so sodium and pottasium levels can be higher than usual.
But, I suggest to repeat tests in few weeks to rule out possible kidney disorder.
WIsh you good health. If you have any question I ll be glad to help

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Above answer was peer-reviewed by : Dr. Chakravarthy Mazumdar