Investigations

The investigations for uraemia are essentially the same as those for renal failure:

• urine:
  • glucose
  • microscopy
  • specific gravity
  • creatinine clearance
  • 24 hour urinary protein
• blood:
  • FBC
  • ESR
• serum:
  • urea
  • electrolytes
  • creatinine
  • protein
  • calcium
  • phosphate
  • uric acid
• ultrasound of abdomen, looking at kidneys and bladder
• renal imaging - ultrasound - assess renal size and exclude obstruction; renal size generally small in chronic renal failure but normal or large renal size may be seen in polycystic kidney disease, diabetes mellitus, asymmetrical renal vascular disease, myeloma, amyloidosis, systemic sclerosis; other investigations such as IVU, DTPA scan should be considered
• protein electrophoresis
• kidney biopsy