Protein and Blood in urine

[lovingpj]

Hello.. I am a 28 year old woman with protein and blood in my urine. One year ago I gave birth to my son. During during my pregnancy their were obvious signs of protein in urine but the doctors didn't not look any further. My son was delivery one month earlier due to placenta abruption. Right after I gave birth I had preclamsia and an absses in my C-section. When I went for my 6 month check up I was referred to a urologist. e did kub, renal ultra sound, urine culture and cytology, cystoscopy. Everything was normal. He referred me to a Nephrologist who ran a few test.At this point my protein levels seem to variate. The new blood work show Complement C3 C4 70 L MicroAlbumin/Creatine 106H Complement Total CH 50 Units <13L Ana Was normal and Folate Serum 2.2L so being said that.. My test show that I might have SLE but ANA is normal. I do know that b12 and folate deficiency can cause leg and arm tingly which I do get. I am anemic thallassemia minor that is. What can this be? I was referred to a Rheumatologist and Im awaiting for those results to come back. I like to do research as with all medical history things can get pretty complicated. I thought I would be IGE but that would be only protein than i thought I would be SLE but ANA was negative.. What about Nephrotic Syndrome? Or what about Glomerulnephritis? I've had 10 surgeries already due to Hydrocephalus so I like to get educated with my health. Anything you can tell me would be great. At this point I just want to get diagnosed so I can get on treatment and possible have another baby in the future but I don't want to take a chance without knowing my true diagnosis. Thank you

[lovingpj]

I will ask my doctor about that. Thank you so much..

[lovingpj]

Thanks you for your response...I will find out about my cholesterol. I know my blood pressure has being good lately. My last urine test was done on 4-21 I had a creatine random urine and it was 146. On 5-9-08 my microalbumin random urine was 26.5 my microalbumin/creatine 182 which is showing up really high. As i told you before my c3 complements are 74 L my complement total Ch 50 were <10 L. I went to a Rheumatologist on 5-16-08 and she said I didn’t have SLE but she ran new test to figure out what it is. I got negative on Sjogren's Ab. HCV Ab  is <0.1 . The Rheumatoid Arthritis Factor is 23.1 which is showing high. I am thinking that I have Ra. I know I will need further testing. My mother has RA and Fabriomalgia so I know this is hereditary. My C-Reaction Protein Quant is 8.2 High. Now remember I do have a b12/folate deficiency of 2.2. My protein/blood level is variable since in April it was 3 and then last month it was 2 but I am still showing the same symptoms. I know that with the b12 folate deficiency you have tingly arms and legs, swelling, protein in urine. I go back to the Rheumatologist on 6-10 and im really looking forward to the next set of test. Since the RA is an auto immunine disease I am thinking this is affecting my kidney which in turn is affecting the protein in my blood which is causing me to be have b12/folate deficiency. Did I also tell you I have Thallasemia minor beta deficiency? I am in the process of changing Nephrologists since my last nephrologists didn’t seem to think their was nothing wrong with me. I am going to see him on Tuesday to ask him to release me as his patient. He told me I was asking too many questions and was going to make him late to all his patients. Anyways..I appreciate all your help. I have all my records and I like to know what’s going on with me. I look forward to seeing what else you could advice me. Once again thank you for all your advice.

[Lori707]

Since you have protein in your urine, you might want to ask the doctor if he can check to see if it's Amyloid protein. I'm not a doctor but personally, I would go with this. It's possible that there can be amyloid deposits in your kidney. If it is amyloid protein, then you should be checked for amyloidosis. I'm not trying to put a scare in you. Most people have some deposits anywhere, but you should check it out anyway.

[Vanessa Lacuesta]

Hi.

Are the elevated blood and protein levels in your urine persistent?

When was your last urinalysis done? Did the latest urinalysis result  show any increase in blood and protein levels ?

How severe are the proteinuria and hematuria ?

Proteinuria  and hematuria usually suggest kidney involvement. At this point, it is best that you be assessed along this line. For nephrotic syndrome, your total cholesterol levels and blood pressure should be evaluated. For glomerulonephritis, a renal biopsy may be indicated to establish the type of glomerulonephritis present. If hematuria is present, the source of the bleed has to be ascertained. Your tests however, came back normal. However, if the hematuria persists then you may have to ask your physician if a renal biopsy is indicated given that all other tests returned normal.

With regards to the ANA, a negative ANA does not necessarily rule out a connective tissue disease.

You have mentioned of a very rich medical history and previous surgical histories also. At this point, further evaluation is still needed and your renal function may need to be monitored.

Here is a url you may want to check for a simple discussion on glomerulonephritis. The tables may be useful:

http://bmj.bmjjournals.com/cgi/content/abstract/309/6968/1557