Blood Urea Nitrogen: Why It Is Done
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Why It Is Done
A blood urea nitrogen (BUN) test is done to:
- See if your kidneys are working normally.
- See if your kidney disease is getting worse.
- See if treatment of your kidney disease is working.
- See if severe dehydration is present. Dehydration generally causes BUN levels to rise more than creatinine levels. This causes a high BUN-to-creatinine ratio. Kidney disease or blockage of the flow of urine from your kidney causes both BUN and creatinine levels to go up.
| Last updated: | August 12, 2008 |
|---|---|
| Author: | Monica Rhodes |
| Reviewed By: | E. Gregory Thompson, MD - Internal Medicine, Tushar J. Vachharajani, MD, FASN, FACP - Nephrology |
| Editors: | Maria Essig, Tracy Landauer |
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