Scared by abnormal tests

[Julipana]

Hello,

I'm 24 years old and have had numerous doctors "mention" that they have found blood, white blood cells and protein in my urine over the years during routine check-ups (none seemed all that concerned about it so I never followed up). Recently, I was at the walk-in clinic for what I thought was a yeast infection, however the doctor told me it was rather a UTI because he found WBCs in my urine. He treated me with antibiotics (microbid) for the potential UTI and and an anti-fungal for the yeast infection (I have had a yeast infection before and am quite sure this is what I had, not a UTI). I decided to see my fam doctor for follow up after reading that continually finding these things in urine is a symptom of kidney disease. Once again, the doctor found blood, WBCs and protein in my urine. I couldn't get any real answers about what this could mean - she simply asked me to make another appointment to get more tests done, which won't be for weeks.

I am really worried about what this could mean - I've been doing a lot of research and the signs all seem to be pointing to kidney disease. Is it possible that these are symptoms are of something else? Is there anything I can do while I wait for my next appointment? I don't have any kidney disease in my family, and don't have any other risk factors (hypertension, diabetes, etc.). I also don't have any symptoms other than what's being found in the urine. I'm really concerned...

Thanks for any advice or reassurance anyone can provide!
J.

[Beth Witten MSW ACSW]

It is not normal for urine to have blood, protein, or white blood cells. So when your doctors found this in your urinalysis, they suspected a urinary tract infection. Most people that have UTIs have white blood cells and blood in their urine and pain that can be severe when they urinate. Have your doctors talked with you about things to do to prevent UTIs?

Read about urinary tract infections and ways to treatment and prevent them here:
http://kidney.niddk.nih.gov/kudiseases/pubs/uti_ez/

If you have blood and protein in your urine, these could be early signs of certain types of kidney disease. You can have blood tests to check your kidney function. Two common tests are creatinine and blood urea nitrogen (BUN). The BUN may go above normal sooner than the creatinine. Creatinine does not go above the normal reading until 50% of kidney function is lost. In the last few years, the National Kidney Foundation has encouraged doctors to use lab test result to calculate a glomerular filtration rate (GFR). You can read about kidneys at:
http://kidney.niddk.nih.gov/kudiseases/pubs/yourkidneys/

I'd suggest that you might want to make an appointment to see a nephrologist. This doctor can talk with you about your health history and your family health history, examine you, do blood tests, and other tests to see if there is any problem with your urinary tract that is contributing to the UTIs. If you do have kidney disease, early identification and treatment is key to maintaining your kidney function and preventing kidney failure.