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1287446 tn?1313947638

High BUN and BUN/Creatinine

Hi everyone.  I’m a 30 year old male who is active – I go to the gym 3x a week.  I’m 5’6”, around 135-140 pounds.  I don’t really have any health issues except since September of 2011, my labs have shown my BUN and BUN/Creatinine ratio to be too high, and increasing with each additional test.  I don’t have exact numbers in front of me, but it seems like they were 25/24, then both 29, and then 30/31 – the first number being the BUN and second being the Creatinine ratio.  

Given I have no other symptoms and I’m healthy, my doctor isn’t worried and hasn’t been from the start.  Recently, I even saw a kidney specialist on my own, who also told me that it’s probably nothing to worry about “yet”.  No tests were done.  This is the same kidney specialist who seen my dad, who had low kidney function due to his diabetes and other health issues.  My dad recently passed away due to unrelated circumstances.  

My doctor told me the next step would be to wait 6 more months, do another blood test, and if it were high, to get an X-ray or Ultrasound (I forget which, he might have even said something else, but it was something similar).  At first I was okay with this, but the longer I waited, the more frustrated I became.  I’ve since chosen another primary care physician and plan to see them soon, as I just simply got tired of waiting.  Almost three years is a long time to have this in the back of your mind!  

I’m a bit more concerned because I’m worried it might be something I’m doing.  I am a soda drinker.  Most state soda simply can’t cause what I’m dealing with, and I know it doesn’t seem highly likely, but I have always been a soda drinker.  I drink only diet soda, so I don’t get the sugar but I get the artificial sweeteners.  I know in a perfect world, no one would drink soda, but if it’s not hurting my kidney function, I wouldn’t like to give it up.  I’ve been addicted to various kinds of diet soda in the past, and have recently made even more cut-backs in my consumption.  I’m currently drinking between 24-32oz of diet Mountain Dew during every weekday (previously it was about 52oz) and I don’t really have a plan for the weekends yet.

The point is I am soda consumer, and always have been, and I hope it has nothing to do with what I’m going through – but I’d ultimately like to figure out what it is that’s the cause.  In the meantime, I do plan to cut down the soda even further.  It just seems like everyone I talk to is either bias – either laughs at the fact soda could be linked to this issue, or has a ‘soda is the devil’ type attitude and that it’s poison and I’m killing myself slowly.  

As far as the causes of high BUN/Creatinine, I’m not certain.  I’d say my diet is moderate protein.  When I’m thirsty, I drink, but there are times I do feel dehydrated.  I drank plenty of water before the last two tests.  How long does it take for you to not be ‘dehydrated’ after drinking water?   I could have some sort of urinary blockage, as someone going to the bathroom is difficult, but this is a side effect of my only medication, Nardil, and I’ve been dealing with that for many years now.  Nardil does not effect the kidneys based on my research.  Any thoughts?
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1287446 tn?1313947638
Thanks.  I changed my primary care doctor, because my current one didn't think it was worth worrying about... so we'll see where it goes from here.
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Avatar universal
MEDICAL PROFESSIONAL
Hi,
How are you? BUN or  blood urea nitrogen   is what forms when protein breaks down. Normal result is generally 6 - 20 mg/dL and may vary among different labs.  Increased BUN may be due to congestive heart failure, excessive protein levels in the gastrointestinal tract, gastrointestinal bleeding, hypovolemia, kidney disease, or urinary tract obstruction. A BUN-to-creatinine ratio can help determine the presence of other conditions such as dehydration or kidney injury. It is best that you discuss the results with your doctor for proper evaluation. Factors such as your medical history, physical examination results, presence of other conditions as well as results of other diagnostic tests are important considerations. Additional diagnostic tests may also help rule out the conditions mentioned above. Take care and do keep us posted.
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