|
| Investigations | Comments |
|
| Essential tests | |
| Urinalysis | Proteinuria and/or haematuria represent an active urinary sediment suggestive of glomerular disease |
| Serum creatinine, urea and electrolytes | |
| Full blood count and blood film | To rule out thrombotic mircoangiopathy and haemolysis; eosinophilia may be present with interstitial nephritis |
| C-reactive protein | elevated in inflammatory diseases and/or infections |
| Arterial or venous bicarbonate | |
| Investigations to be considered depending on history and/or clinical signs | |
| Creatine kinase | To rule out rhabdomyolysis |
| Serum and urine protein electrophoresis | To rule out myeloma |
| Antinuclear antibody (ANA) | In case of possible diagnosis of SLE or connective tissue disease |
| Antineutrophil antibody (ANCA) | In case of possible systemic vasculitis |
| Anti-streptolysin O titres | To rule out post streptococcal glomerulonephritis |
| Anti-glomerular basement membrane antibody | To rule out Goodpasture’s disease |
| Complement levels | Reduced in SLE, infectious endocarditis and cryoglobulinaemia |
| Hep B, Hep C and HIV serology | To rule out renal disease caused by viral infections |
| Renal ultrasound | To assess renal size; to rule out obstruction and chronic kidney damage |
|
