My bun is too high!
 

Have any of you ever gotten back a blood test with elevated BUN (Blood Urea Nitrogen) and elevated BUN/creatinine ratio. The bun was 25 MG/dl and was supposed to be under 23. Not too bad I suppose. The Bun/creatinine was 35.7. Should have been 10 - 22. Was wondering if it could be dehydration or tied in with elevated blood sugar. It was 113 fasting. Everything else was great! Been LCing since September 02. Any ideas or experiences would be appreciated.

hi there,

Yes, dehydration can lead to elevated BUN and BUN/creatinine ratio. So will eating a high protein diet. Definitely drink more water! Nearly all the national kidney association websites list inadequate water intake as a leading cause for stone formation. So drink up!

Note - elevated BUN (in some places it's just called simply "urea") and creatinine can indeed indicate kidney disease or some other inflammation where there is muscle breakdown. Other tests could be done to see exactly what's happening in the body. Has your dr. scheduled any kind of follow-up in a couple of months or so?

re - the blood sugar. Hmmm, FBS of 118 is kinda high. 90 is better, but some drs. don't get excited unless it's over 120. It's like taking your blood pressure though, a single reading is meaningless. Stress can cause temporary blood sugar elevation, and in some people, being in the fasting state for an extended period of time can lead to starvation-mode, where the body breaks down its own proteins (ie, muscles) which are converted to glycogen (glucose) in the liver.

Usual length of time to fast for bloodwork is 8 - 12 hrs ... the lab or your dr. should indicate on the recquisition. Shorter fasting time for blood sugar, longer fasting time for blood lipids (cholesterol, triglycerides). Be sure to stay well hydrated, and if you know your appointment isn't till later in the morning, you might wish to have a small snack the night before.

hth,

Doreen