Blood Urea Nitrogen Measure

A Blood Urea Nitrogen Measure is a medical measure that quantifies urea nitrogen and protein metabolism (through blood serum analysis).

• AKA: BUN Test, Serum Urea Nitrogen Test, Blood Urea Test, Nitrogen Waste Measure.
• Context:
  • It can typically assess Kidney Function through waste measurement.
  • It can typically indicate Protein Metabolism through urea level.
  • It can typically evaluate Renal Health through nitrogen clearance.
  • It can typically monitor Disease Status through metabolic waste.
  • It can typically guide Treatment Decision through blood chemistry.
  • ...
  • It can often detect Kidney Disease through elevated level.
  • It can often track Treatment Response through value change.
  • It can often assess Nutritional Status through protein breakdown.
  • It can often identify Dehydration through concentration change.
  • ...
  • It can range from being a Normal BUN Level to being an Elevated BUN Level, depending on its measurement value.
  • It can range from being a Fasting Measurement to being a Post-Meal Measurement, depending on its testing condition.
  • It can range from being a Single Test Result to being a Trend Analysis, depending on its monitoring duration.
  • ...
  • Measure Output: a BUN Reading in mg/dL:
    • Normal Range: 6-20 mg/dL
    • Mild Elevation: 21-40 mg/dL
    • Moderate Elevation: 41-80 mg/dL
    • Severe Elevation: >80 mg/dL
  • ...
• Examples:
  • BUN Testing Purposes, such as:
    • Kidney Assessments, such as:
      • Renal Function Screening for baseline evaluation.
      • Disease Monitoring for progression tracking.
    • Metabolic Assessments, such as:
      • Protein Metabolism Evaluation for nutritional status.
      • Catabolic State Assessment for tissue breakdown.
  • BUN Clinical Applications, such as:
    • Diagnostic Uses, such as:
      • Acute Kidney Injury for rapid change.
      • Chronic Kidney Disease for gradual elevation.
    • Monitoring Purposes, such as:
      • Dialysis Adequacy for treatment effectiveness.
      • Medication Response for therapeutic monitoring.
  • ...
• Counter-Examples:
  • Blood Glucose Measure, which measures sugar level rather than nitrogen waste.
  • Blood Electrolyte Measure, which measures mineral balance rather than protein catabolism.
  • Blood pH Measure, which measures acid-base status rather than waste product.
• See: Blood Test Reference Range, Serum Creatinine Measure, Urea Cycle, Kidney Function Test, Protein Metabolism, Renal Disease, Blood Chemistry.

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References

2016

• (Wikipedia, 2016) ⇒ http://wikipedia.org/wiki/blood_urea_nitrogen Retrieved:2016-4-25.
  • The liver produces urea in the urea cycle as a waste product of the digestion of protein. Normal human adult blood should contain between 6 and 20 mg of urea nitrogen per 100 ml (6–20 mg/dL) of blood. Individual laboratories will have different reference ranges as the assay used will vary between laboratories.

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