The following kidney diseases are usually hidden behind a proteinuria:
- Kidney inflammation
- Kidney damage
- Diabetes with kidney involvement
Diseases that do not come directly from the kidneys can also be the reason for increased protein levels in the urine. These include, for example:
- Hypertension
- various heart diseases
- rheumatoid arthritis
- Tuberculosis
- Malaria
Other possible causes of short-term proteinuria are urinary tract infections. Typical symptoms include burning and discomfort when urinating, as well as frequent urge to urinate.
If proteinuria occurs in the first half of pregnancy, this may indicate a pre-existing urinary tract or kidney disease. In the second half of pregnancy, pregnancy poisoning (preeclampsia) is a possible cause and should be clarified immediately.
Persistent proteinuria can be caused by chronic renal failure . This is the slowly advancing loss of kidney function over months and years . Chronic renal failure often goes unnoticed for a long time, as there are no pronounced symptoms at first. It usually develops in a creeping way.
In the advanced stage of renal failure, a complex clinical picture is revealed, which also affects other organ systems.
Persistent fatigue, itching, nocturnal urination, shortness of breath and pale skin color are further signs of chronic kidney failure.
It is very often caused by inadequately treated high blood pressure or type 1 or type 2 diabetes mellitus. But hereditary kidney disease or chronic kidney inflammation can also be considered as a cause.