How to Check Serum Urea Levels
If you want to learn more about your serum urea levels and understand how well your kidneys and liver are working, a private urea and electrolytes blood test may be the ideal solution.
Serum urea is a waste product produced from the breakdown of proteins in your liver that is filtered and excreted by the kidneys. High levels of serum urea in your blood can indicate that your kidneys or liver are not working as effectively as they should.
Gaining insights into your serum urea levels can be important for understanding more about your health and managing any symptoms you may be experiencing.
What is serum urea?
Serum urea is a waste product produced when the liver breaks down proteins. Urea is released by the liver into the bloodstream, where it is transported to the kidneys. The kidneys then filter out and excrete serum urea from the body via urine.
Urea is cleared from the body quickly in healthy individuals. However, in people whose kidney function is impaired, serum urea is not effectively excreted, which can cause a toxic build-up.
How can I check my serum urea levels?
It is possible to check your serum urea levels and gain insights into how well your kidneys and liver are working by having a simple blood test.
A urea and electrolyte blood test measures the amount of urea in your blood. If the levels of urea in your blood are too high, it could indicate that your kidneys are not effectively excreting urea from your body due to damage or failure or that your liver is producing higher-than-normal levels of urea.
However, there are several other possible causes of high serum urea levels, including:
- Dehydration
- Heart failure
- Urinary tract infections
- Gastrointestinal bleeding
- Diabetes
- Lupus
- Some cancers, including multiple myeloma
- Haemolytic uremic syndrome
- High blood pressure
Low serum urea levels, on the other hand, can indicate liver damage or overhydration. Low protein diets may also cause low serum urea levels.
Why should I check my serum urea levels?
Monitoring your serum urea levels is essential for evaluating kidney function and overall metabolic health. Elevated or decreased urea levels can indicate potential issues with kidney performance, liver function, or other metabolic conditions
Symptoms of high blood urea
Common symptoms of high blood urea can include:
- Muscle cramps
- Feeling sick
- Being sick
- Fatigue
- Weight loss
- Itchy skin
- Problems with thinking and remembering
Symptoms of low blood urea
Unlike high levels of urea in the blood, which can indicate problems with kidney or liver function, low blood urea levels are usually not a cause for undue concern, and low levels of serum urea are common in pregnant women.
However, in some cases, very low blood urea levels can be seen in people with severe liver disease or malnutrition. A serum urea blood test is not used to diagnose liver disease conditions, but the symptoms of this condition can include:
- Tiredness and weakness
- Itchy skin
- Jaundice
- Low libido
- Loss of appetite
What to do if I have abnormal serum urea levels?
If your urea and electrolyte blood test results are abnormal, you may be advised to seek additional advice from your GP. High serum urea levels can indicate kidney disease.
Kidney disease
Kidney disease is a chronic condition in which the kidneys are damaged and cannot filter the blood as they should. This can lead to high levels of toxic substances like serum urea in the bloodstream.
Kidney disease is a common condition in elderly people as the kidneys naturally stop working as effectively as they age. It is categorised into five stages, with stages 1-3 classed as moderate and usually managed with medications and lifestyle changes, such as:
- Managing your blood sugars if you are diabetic – Keeping your blood sugars within a healthy range can help reduce your risk of high blood urea, as diabetes is the most common cause of kidney disease.
- Maintaining a healthy blood pressure – High blood pressure is a common cause of chronic kidney disease. Eating a healthy diet, reducing your salt intake, losing weight, cutting down your caffeine intake, and quitting smoking can all help.
- Quitting smoking – Cigarette smoking is a risk factor for developing kidney disease and can cause raised urea and creatinine levels.
- Losing weight – If you live with obesity, losing weight can help to reduce urea production.
- Following a healthy diet - Some evidence suggests that following a high-protein diet can cause excess urea production, which can lead to impaired kidney function over time.
- Exercising – Regular exercise can help improve kidney function and regulate blood pressure.
Discover how Bluecrest Wellness can help you monitor your serum urea levels
At Bluecrest Wellness, our urea and electrolyte blood test is designed with you in mind, providing comprehensive results from fully accredited and approved laboratories. The test can be added as an individual test to many of our existing packages, but it is included in our comprehensive private health assessments.
Our Health MOTs offer excellent value for money, providing comprehensive insights into your general health, including essential blood tests, risk factors for prevalent health conditions, and other key health parameters.
