Laboratory results. Please help?

Question

Hello, I hope you have the time to give me some suggestions/comments when it comes to my lab results. I was tested earlier this morning. I won't be back to the doctor's office until next week. For now, I hope you can give your suggestions that I can follow for the following days.

URINALYSIS
Sugar: Negative
Albumin: Trace
Pus: 0-2/HPF

BLOOD CHEM (expressed in mmol/l)
Glucose: 4.53 (normal: 3.89-5.84)
Creatinine: 77.37 (normal: M:57-92)
Cholesterol: 4.53 (normal:3.9-6.18)
Triglycerides: 1.16 (normal: 0.45-1.86)
HDL: .90 (M: 1.04-1.3)
LDL: 3.10 (0-4.0)

Guys, I'm worried about the traces of albumin in urine (yeah, I do love to eat meat) and my HDL (it's low. what do you mean by that?). What can you I do to make me normalize the results next time? Like I said, my next appointment is still next week. I'm still 17. years old. Thank you all!

Answer 1

The trace albumin in your urine is nothing to be overly concerned about. This test is most often performed when kidney disease is suspected. It may be used as a screening test.

Normally, protein is not found in urine when a routine dipstick test is performed. This is because the kidney is supposed to keep large molecules, such as protein, in the blood and only filter out smaller impurities. Even if small amounts of protein do get through, they are normally re-absorbed by the body and used as a source of energy.

Some proteins will appear in the urine if the levels of protein in blood become high, even when the kidney is functioning properly.

If the kidney is diseased, protein will appear in the urine - even if the blood levels are normal.

Factors that affect urine levels in the blood include:
-Severe emotional stress
-Strenuous exercise
-Radiopaque contrast media within 3 days of the urine test
-Urine contaminated with vaginal secretions
-Drugs that can increase measurements include acetazolamide, aminoglycosides, amphotericin B, cephalosporins, colistin, griseofulvin, lithium, methicillin, nafcillin, nephrotoxic drugs (such as arsenicals, gold salts), oxacillin, penicillamine, penicillin G, phenazopyridine, polymyxin B, salicylates, sulfonamides, tolbutamide, and viomycin.

As for the rest of your blood tests, your HDL needs to be raised. A low HDL level is correlated with increased chances of CAD, as it has been shown to actually remove deposits of LDL cholesterol from the artery walls. This can be increased with Aerobic exercise. Many people don't like to hear it, but regular aerobic exercise (any exercise, such as walking, jogging or bike riding, that raises your heart rate for 20 to 30 minutes at a time) may be the most effective way to increase HDL levels. Recent evidence suggests that the duration of exercise, rather than the intensity, is the more important factor in raising HDL choleserol. But any aerobic exercise helps.
- Lose weight. Obesity results not only in increased LDL cholesterol, but also in reduced HDL cholesterol. If you are overweight, reducing your weight should increase your HDL levels. This is especially important if your excess weight is stored in your abdominal area; your weight-to-hip ratio is particularly important in determining whether you ought to concentrate on weight loss.

-Dont smoke. If you smoke, giving up tobacco will result in an increase in HDL levels.
-Cut out the Trans Fat. Trans fatty acids are almost present in many of your favorite prepared foods -- anything in which the nutrition label reads "partially hydrogenated ____ oils" -- so eliminating them from the diet is not a trivial task. But trans fatty acids not only increase LDL cholesterol levels, they also reduce HDL cholesterol levels. Removing them from your diet will almost certainly result in a measurable increase in HDL levels.
-Increase the monounsaturated fats in your diet. Monounsaturated fats such as canola oil, avocado oil, or olive oil and in the fats found in peanut butter can increase HDL cholesterol levels without increasing the total cholesterol.
-Add soluble fiber to your diet. Soluble fibers are found in oats, fruits, vegetables, and legumes, and result in both a reduction in LDL cholesterol and an increase HDL cholesterol. For best results, at least two servings a day should be used.
-Cranberry juice has been shown to increase HDL levels. Fish and other foods containing omega-3 fatty acids can also increase HDL levels. In postmenopausal women (but not, apparently, in men or pre-menopausal women) calcium supplementation can increase HDL levels.

Answer 2

Trace albumin in the urine usually means nothing at all. Most likely, your doctor will simply ignore it.

HDL is the "good" cholesterol and yours is a little low but the LDL ("bad" cholesterol) and triglycerides are normal so the doctor will probably just opt to keep an eye on it.