General information, not an individual diagnosis. Ask a healthcare professional if you are unsure about your situation.
The urine albumin/creatinine ratio, called RAC in French, compares measurements of these two substances in the same urine sample. It contributes to the kidney assessment requested by the doctor. Alone, it does not describe the whole of kidney function.
This screening uses a single urine sample, preferably from the morning; a twenty-four-hour collection is not required. Ask the laboratory which container to use and when to collect the prescribed sample, rather than copy instructions from a different urine test.
The report may express the ratio in mg/g or mg/mmol. Keep the value, unit and date together: the same number without its unit is not a complete result. Avoid copying it as a bare number or converting it yourself to compare different reports.
A urinary infection, fever, recent intense exercise or menstruation can temporarily increase albumin in urine. Tell the doctor about these circumstances so they can interpret the result. They do not let you decide that an abnormal result is unimportant.
When an abnormality is found, confirmation involves repeating tests and looking for other signs of kidney damage. The doctor decides which checks are needed alongside the other available results. Do not assign yourself a disease stage from an isolated value.
Prepare the complete report, the circumstances of collection and the reason for the prescription. Ask what the ratio means in your assessment, whether it should be checked again and how the next result will be explained. These instructions concern the prescribed ratio; if the prescription also includes an ECBU urine test, ask the laboratory for its separate instructions.
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