Many people do not know what urea is, nor do they know what the normal values are and what happens when urea is high in the blood. We are going to explain everything in this text, so that we fully understand what is happening in our body.
Urea is related to protein consumption, so it is not good to consume it in excess and not spend it. Urea is produced in the liver and is the result of protein metabolism. We are going to see it in detail, but first we must say that it will be the doctor who will identify if there really is a problem behind those blood urea values or if it is just a punctual rise.
Let’s remember that when we do a blood test, we have to leave a space of between 8 and 12 hours between the last meal and the extraction. For the values to be more realistic, we must leave at least 10 hours, since, if we have a very copious dinner, which is always discouraged, and we perform a blood draw in less than 10 hours, the values may be altered.
What is urea?
In a nutshell, urea is the result of protein metabolization in the liver . We all have urea in the body, but those people who consume a lot of protein and do not spend it, may have high blood urea.
The thing does not stop here, but it is the kidneys that are responsible for getting rid of urea through urine, that is, high levels of this substance in our blood, can mean a kidney problem, of greater or lesser gravity, but it can exist.
What does it mean to have high blood urea?
When the levels of urea in our blood are above normal (between 6 and 24 mg/dl), it is considered uremia. This can give a clue that the patient has mild or severe kidney failure with fatal consequences. Having this substance in high levels is also a symptom of a lack of hydration or an excess consumption of foods rich in protein.
Levels rise and fall based on diet, exercise, age, gender, and stage of life. For example, children have very low levels, as do pregnant women and during menopause the values fluctuate.
In addition, each laboratory that analyzes the blood sample will have intervals between which they move to determine if the urea is high or not. In any case, it will be a medical professional who determines whether the results obtained are serious or not.
Causes of the increase
The increase in urea in our bloodstream can be due to several causes. As we have said before, normal blood urea levels are between 6 and 24 mg/dl, so anything above 24 may mean high urea.
Some experts point out that it is considered high from 50 mg/dl because they take into account the patient’s diet and habits. In case of doubt, we can consult a specialist, but if the doctor has reviewed our tests and has not given importance to the result, everything is fine.
Be that as it may, this substance can be elevated, due to excessive protein consumption , also due to lack of hydration, and an adult needs to drink at least 1.5 liters of clean and fresh water every day. It can also increase in the blood due to excessive intense and prolonged exercise, since the breakdown of proteins in the liver is accelerated.
Drinking a lot of water helps lower urea, and if we drink a lot of water and urea is still high, it can be an almost unequivocal sign that our kidneys are having problems. It also favors the increase of infections, prostate problems, diabetes, cirrhosis, hypertension and liver problems.
If our urine changes color , it is important to have a check-up as it is a sign that things are beginning to fail within our body and we are in time to put solutions.
Symptoms of high urea
To know if we have high urea, there are a series of symptoms, which may or may not occur, or maybe we do not agree on all of them and only on one. But it is important to go to a doctor if at least our symptoms coincide in two of the following:
- Feeling of dehydration. Being very thirsty always and dry mouth.
- loss of appetite
- Bad breath. Also known as halitosis, but more specifically if our breath smells strong like ammonia.
- Almost daily fatigue.
- Weakness and lack of energy.
- Feeling of low tension.
- vomiting.
- Diarrhea and other gastrointestinal disorders such as pain, gas and abdominal distention.
- Pain in the lower back area (kidney area).
With a simple blood test we can get rid of doubts. It is a quick and painless process, in addition, in a matter of a few days we have the results and we will know what is happening to us. If the doctor has suspicions, he will ask us many questions to find out about our life habits. It is convenient to always tell the truth so that the diagnosis is adequate.
As a result, he will make his decisions, which can be ultrasounds, other blood tests, urine tests, etc.
How to lower urea
To lower blood urea there are several methods, and during this text we have given several clues. We already know that urea comes from the metabolism of proteins in the liver, and we also know that it is excreted in the urine through the kidneys.
Well, knowing this, we already know that to lower levels we must increase the amount of water we drink per day, while reducing protein consumption by eliminating foods such as fish, soy, cheese, red meat, protein yogurts, etc.
Exercising regularly can help maintain normal levels, however, making drastic changes worsens the situation, since the liver accelerates the production of urea. Having good lifestyle habits, urea should be within normal ranges, but, as we say, that is only determined by a specialist.
