title: Primary care approach to proteinuria.
abstract: Proteinuria is a common finding in primary care practice. Most adolescents who are diagnosed with proteinuria through screening urinalysis do not have renal disease, and the proteinuria will usually resolve on repeat testing. In contrast, proteinuria is suggestive of kidney disease in patients with diabetes mellitus, hypertension, primary renal disease, or other systemic illnesses. Quantification of proteinuria can be used longitudinally to monitor therapeutic effects of treatment of the underlying disease. Given the multitude of clinical settings in which proteinuria can occur, we suggest an algorithm that may help clinicians differentiate between benign and serious etiologies of proteinuria.
authors.affiliation: Department of Internal Medicine, The University of Texas Southwestern Medical Center at Dallas, 5323 Harry Hines Boulevard, Dallas, TX 75390-8837, USA. Robert.Reilly2@va.gov
authors.forename: Amir Said Alizadeh
authors.initials: AS
authors.lastname: Naderi
authors.forename: Robert F
authors.initials: RF
authors.lastname: Reilly
mesh_terms: D000465:Algorithms; D048909:Diabetes Complications / Q000517:prevention & control; D006801:Humans; D006973:Hypertension / Q000150:complications; D007674:Kidney Diseases / Q000150:complications; D011320:Primary Health Care; D011507:Proteinuria / Q000175:diagnosis / Q000188:drug therapy / Q000209:etiology* / Q000503:physiopathology