Diabetes and your kidneys—get your annual urine test.

Know which tests to ask for.

If you have diabetes, annual kidney screening should include more than blood work. You also need a simple urine test called a urine albumin-to-creatinine ratio (UACR) test.

Diabetes increases your risk of chronic kidney disease (CKD), which can develop without symptoms. The American Diabetes Association recommends that people with diabetes have both a UACR urine test and an estimated glomerular filtration rate (eGFR) blood test performed at least annually.

Why two tests?

The blood and the urine tests measure different things. Your eGFR blood test tells you how well your kidneys are filtering. Your UACR urine test can tell you if your kidneys are being damaged. You need both.

What does the UACR urine test show?

The UACR test checks your urine for albumin, a protein that normally stays in your blood. When the kidneys are damaged, albumin can leak into the urine. A UACR test can detect this early sign of kidney damage, even before kidney filtering begins to decline. That’s why both tests are important.

Take action to protect your kidney health—complete your UACR test every year.

Make sure to ask your provider to order a UACR test as part of your annual diabetes care—and complete the test when it’s ordered. A small urine sample, combined with your eGFR blood test, provides a more complete picture of your kidney health and risk.