What Should I Do When My Lab Results Showed Poor

Brief Answer:
Advices given on further steps in diagnosis and treatment

Detailed Answer:
Hello and welcome to "Ask a Doctor" service,

Poor kidney function should warrant examinations to identify the cause. This is important to prevent further progress. You will need to check your heart and blood pressure, rule out diabetes, have a urinalysis and also check for glomerulonephritis, a check for the renal arteries is generally needed to make sure they are not narrow. Presence of an immune condition is also important as a possible cause.

After the cause is identified then treatment for that is needed to prevent progression if this is possible.

Meanwhile, patients with low kidney function should be very careful with the diet. They should not eat a lot of salt and should avoid diets with a lot of proteins. Dieticians specialized in this can be a great help. Your nephrologist may also orient you on the diet that you can have.
This is important in reducing the amount of urea produced from protein metabolism, as urea is excreeted by kidneys and may accumulate in the blood if kidneys are not functioning well.

To conclude:
- you will need extensive examinations to try and identify the cause of poor renal function
- treatment oriented towards the cause is important to prevent worsening of the kidney function
- dietary precautions are important. Mostly less salt and less protein but a guide by a nephrologist or dietician would be preferred.
- be cautious of medications, even over the counter. Some of them may hurt the kidneys so do not use any medications (even ibuprofen) without the advise of the doctor.
- regular check of the kidney function is needed so you will need to have to see a nephrologist and have blood tests repeated every few months to monitor the condition.

I hope this answers your query and is helpful to you. I remain at your disposal, let me know if I can assist you further.

Regards,
Dr. Antoneta Zotaj, General and Family Physician

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