What's wrong with high urine protein

Protein is an indispensable part of human life, a small part of which will be discharged from the body along with the circulation of body fluids through the filtering effect of the kidneys and urine, when the body's kidney function or other bodily functions are abnormal, the protein content in the urine will increase, which is what we often hear doctors mention high urine protein (proteinuria), so what is the matter with high urine protein?

What does a positive urine protein mean?

When urine protein is higher than this value, it is often seen as positive urine protein on the test results.

Physiological factors

Functional urine protein is also known as physiological urine protein. The increase of urine protein is not pathological, but is caused by the spasm and congestion of kidney blood vessels due to the influence of factors such as strenuous exercise, fever, high temperature, cold, and mental stress, resulting in the loss of protein in the urine due to increased glomerular permeability, which is called reversible proteinuria.

Glomerular injury factors

Glomerular proteinuria is caused by damage to the glomerulus due to infection, immunity, metabolism, toxins and other factors, resulting in the destruction of the capillary wall of the glomerulus, increased permeability of the cell membrane or impaired charge barrier causing a large amount of plasma protein to leak into the primary urine, exceeding the reabsorption capacity of the renal tubules. It is commonly seen in acute glomerulonephritis, chronic glomerulonephritis, and occult nephritis.

Renal tubular injury factor

Renal tubular proteinuria is caused by inflammation or toxicity, which reduces the reabsorption of small molecules of protein in the proximal tubule, resulting in increased proteinuria. Diseases causing renal tubular injury are commonly seen in pyelonephritis, renal tubular heavy metal poisoning, drug toxicity (gentamicin, polymyxin B), tubular acidosis, and post-transplantation renal transplantation.

Histological factors

Histogenic egg urine is proteinuria formed when proteins produced by kidney tissue cells, inflammation of kidney tissues, proteins decomposed by tissue destruction, and proteins secreted by urethral tissues after stimulation by hand drugs enter the urine, all of which are histogenic proteinuria. When this tissue proteinuria becomes diseased, it can also lead to an increase in urine protein. This kind of tissue proteinuria is commonly found in malignant tumors and viral infections.

Overflow proteinuria

Overflow proteinuria is a condition in which the filtration function of the glomerulus and the reabsorption function of the renal tubules are in a normal state, but the plasma protein in the blood increases abnormally beyond the filtration and reabsorption capacity of the glomerulus, resulting in an increase in the amount of proteinuria in the urine. This overflow proteinuria is commonly seen in diseases such as hemolytic anemia, hemoglobinuria, and multiple myeloma.