Protein in urine

Our 13 year old son ha a very high amount of protein (6.7) in his urine. They did a 24 hour test and that is what it amounted to. We are wondering what could be causing this or what it could be. The urologist stated that his kidneys were not filtering properly. What does all of that mean?

[Dr Santos]

Hi,

How is your son? Proteinuria describes a condition in which urine contains an abnormal amount of protein. Proteins from the blood can escape into the urine when the filters of the kidney, called glomeruli, are damaged. Inflammation in the glomeruli is called glomerulonephritis, or simply nephritis. This  may be due to medical conditions such as  diabetes, hypertension, and other forms of kidney diseases.

Because the protein has left the body, the blood can no longer soak up enough fluid and  swelling in the hands, feet, abdomen, or face may be observed  Additional tests may be done  to evaluate your son's  kidney function and to determine the underlying cause.

Take care and regards.