Quick answer
The Urine Microalbumin Test costs ₹180 at Live Line Health Care. Detects very small amounts of albumin in urine. No fasting is needed. It uses a urine sample and the report is usually ready the same day. Book home sample collection or visit any of our 45 centres.
Also known as: Microalbumin, Microalbuminuria Test, Urine Microalbumin, Urine Albumin Creatinine Ratio, UACR, ACR Test, Spot Urine Microalbumin
What is the Urine Microalbumin Test?
The urine microalbumin test looks for very small amounts of albumin, a blood protein, leaking into your urine. Healthy kidneys keep almost all albumin in the blood. When the tiny filters in the kidneys are damaged, often by long-standing high sugar or high blood pressure, small amounts begin to slip through. A routine urine test, the kind that shows protein as trace or +, picks up albumin only once the leak is larger. Microalbumin testing catches it much earlier, when treatment can still slow or even reverse the damage.
Doctors advise this test once a year for people with type 2 diabetes from the time of diagnosis, for people with type 1 diabetes after about 5 years, and for many people with high blood pressure. A spot sample, ideally the first urine of the morning, is enough. Many labs also measure urine creatinine to give an albumin-to-creatinine ratio (ACR), which corrects for how concentrated the urine is. Fever, heavy exercise, a urine infection or a period can raise albumin for a short time, so one high result should be repeated. Kidney damage is usually confirmed only when two of three samples over 3 to 6 months are raised.
What it measures: The amount of albumin in a spot urine sample, at levels too low for a routine urine protein test to detect.
Parameters included (1)
- Urine Microalbumin (mg/L)
Why is this test done?
- Yearly kidney screening in people with diabetes
- Checking for kidney effects of long-standing high blood pressure
- Following kidney protection after medicines such as ACE inhibitors or ARBs are started
- Assessing heart and kidney risk in people with diabetes or hypertension
- Following up a trace of protein on a routine urine test
When should you get tested?
- Diabetes of any type, as advised for yearly screening
- High blood pressure, especially if hard to control
- Swelling of the feet or face in someone with diabetes
- Foamy urine that does not settle
- A family history of kidney disease
How to prepare for the Urine Microalbumin Test
- 1Collect the first urine of the morning, midstream, in the sterile container given to you. No fasting is needed.
- 2Avoid heavy exercise for 24 hours beforehand, since it can raise albumin for a short while.
- 3Postpone the test if you have a fever, a urine infection or your period, and tell staff if any of these apply.
- 4Continue your blood pressure and diabetes medicines as usual unless your doctor advises otherwise.
Urine Microalbumin Test normal range
| Parameter | Typical reference range |
|---|---|
| Spot urine microalbumin | Below 20 mg/Lsome labs use below 30 mg/L |
| Albumin-to-creatinine ratio, normal | Below 30 mg/gif your report includes ACR |
| ACR, moderately increased (microalbuminuria) | 30–300 mg/g |
| ACR, severely increased | Above 300 mg/g |
A concentration in mg/L depends on how dilute your urine is, so many doctors prefer the ratio to creatinine. Use the units and range printed on your report. Ranges are typical adult values and vary between labs, age and sex. Always use the range printed on your report and discuss results with your doctor.
Understanding your results
- A normal result in someone with diabetes is reassuring, and the test is usually repeated yearly.
- A raised result once should be repeated, ideally twice within 3 to 6 months, before your doctor concludes that kidney damage is present.
- A persistently raised result in diabetes or hypertension is an early sign of kidney damage. Good sugar and blood pressure control, and medicines your doctor may add, can slow or reverse it.
- Raised albumin in urine is also linked with a higher risk of heart disease, so your doctor may review cholesterol and other risk factors.
- Your doctor will usually read this result with serum creatinine and eGFR to judge overall kidney function.
Health packages that include this test
The Urine Microalbumin Test is included in these full body checkups:
Urine Microalbumin Test – FAQs
What is the price of the Urine Microalbumin Test?
The Urine Microalbumin Test costs ₹180 at Live Line Health Care, at all 45 centres and for home sample collection.
What is the difference between microalbumin and urine albumin tests?
A routine urine albumin or protein test detects larger amounts and shows results like trace, + or ++. The microalbumin test is far more sensitive and measures small amounts in mg/L or as a ratio. It finds early kidney damage in diabetes and hypertension that a routine test misses.
How often should people with diabetes test microalbumin?
Usually once a year. People with type 2 diabetes should start at diagnosis, and people with type 1 diabetes about 5 years after diagnosis. If albumin is already raised, your doctor may test more often to see how treatment is working. Follow the schedule your doctor sets.
What does a high microalbumin result mean?
It means more albumin than normal is leaking into your urine, often an early sign of kidney stress from diabetes or blood pressure. One result can be raised by exercise, fever or infection, so it is repeated. If it stays high, your doctor will focus on protecting your kidneys.
Can microalbuminuria be reversed?
Often it can improve, especially when caught early. Better sugar and blood pressure control, stopping smoking, and medicines such as ACE inhibitors or ARBs can lower albumin leakage. Some newer diabetes medicines also protect the kidneys. Your doctor will decide which treatment suits you.
What is the urine ACR test?
ACR stands for albumin-to-creatinine ratio. The lab measures albumin and creatinine in the same urine sample and divides one by the other. This corrects for how dilute or concentrated the urine is, so a single spot sample gives a reliable result. A value below 30 mg/g is normal.
Do I need a 24 hour urine collection?
Usually not. A spot sample, ideally the first morning urine, is the standard way to screen today, and it is far more convenient. A 24 hour collection is occasionally asked for in special situations. Your doctor will tell you if that is needed.
Where can I get the Urine Microalbumin Test done?
At any of our 45 Live Line Health Care centres in 40 cities across Andhra Pradesh and Telangana, including Hyderabad, Visakhapatnam, Warangal, Kakinada and Nellore, or book home sample collection.
Medical disclaimer: This information is for general awareness only and is not a substitute for professional medical advice. Please consult a qualified doctor to interpret your results and before starting or changing any treatment.