Albumin, 24-Hour Urine with Creatinine

Test Code

15281

Includes

CPT code 81050 may be added at an additional charge for volume measurement

Preferred Specimen

24 Hour Urine Container

Minimum Volume

2 mL

Other Acceptable Specimens

Urinalysis transport tube (yellow-top, blue fill line, preservative tube)

Instructions

Submit 5 mL aliquot from a well-mixed 24-hour, submitted in a plastic, leak-proof container.

Do not use preservatives. Record 24-hour urine volume on test request form and urine vial.
Exercise within 24 hr, infection, fever, congestive heart failure, marked hyperglycemia, and marked hypertension may elevate urinary albumin excretion over baseline values.

Transport Temperature

Room temperature

Specimen Stability

Room temperature: 7 days
Refrigerated: 7 days
Frozen: 28 days

Reject Criteria (Eg, hemolysis? Lipemia? Thaw/Other?)

Acid preserved urine

Methodology
Turbidometric

Setup Schedule

A.M. Sets up 3 days a week.

Report Available

Reports in 1 day.

Reference Range

Albumin, 24 hour urine	<30 mg/24 h
Albumin, 24 hour urine	<20 mcg/min

Creatinine, 24-Hour Urine

<3 Years	Not established
3-8 Years	0.10-0.80 g/24 h
9-12 Years	0.20-1.40 g/24 h
13-17 Years	0.40-1.90 g/24 h
>17 Years	0.50-2.15 g/24 h

The ADA defines abnormalities in albumin excretion as follows:

Category	Result (mg/24 h)	Result (mcg/min)
Normal	<30	<20
Microalbuminuria	30-299	20-199
Clinical Albuminuria	≥300	≥200

The ADA recommends that at least two of three specimens collected within a 3-6 month period be abnormal before considering a patient to be within a diagnostic category.

Clinical Significance

Albumin excreted in the urine (Microalbumin) is a sensitive marker of Nephropathy. It is used to screen for early renal disease in diabetic patients.

The CPT Codes provided in this document are based on AMA guidelines and are for informational purposes only. CPT coding is the sole responsibility of the billing party. Please direct any questions regarding coding to the payor being billed. Any Profile/panel component may be ordered separately. Reflex tests are performed at an additional charge.