45-year-old male patient with chronic glomerulonephritis and long lasting extremities edema came to the laboratory for serum albumin and urinalysis tests. The laboratory technologist received and analyzed the sample and result wasserum creatinine of 1.7 mg/dl (RI; 0.7- 1.4g/dl) and serum albumin of 15g/l (RI; 30-45g/1). What would happen to the concentration of urinary protein? a. It will be decreased b. There will be no protein c. It will be normal d. It will be increased
d. It will be increased
Chronic glomerulonephritis is a condition characterized by inflammation of the glomeruli, which are the filtering units of the kidneys. This inflammation can lead to damage of the glomeruli, causing protein to leak into the urine (proteinuria).
In this case, the patient has long-lasting extremities edema, which is a symptom commonly associated with kidney disease and fluid retention. The low serum albumin level (15g/l) indicates a decreased synthesis of albumin in the liver, which can occur as a result of kidney damage. This leads to a decrease in the concentration of albumin in the blood.
The decreased concentration of albumin in the blood negatively affects the osmotic pressure in the blood vessels, which can cause fluid to leak into the tissues and result in edema. Additionally, the decreased concentration of albumin in the blood can lead to increased reabsorption of proteins in the renal tubules, further contributing to proteinuria.
Therefore, in this case, the concentration of urinary protein would be increased due to protein leakage into the urine as a result of chronic glomerulonephritis and low serum albumin levels.