What is protein electrophoresis?
Proteins are found in the blood of healthy people. They play an important role in supporting optimal body functioning and health. For example, they:
- carry oxygen to where it’s needed in the body
- 帮助消化
- support muscle movement
- fight off disease
- 通过组织支持的增长和维护ughout the entire body
However, you should not have a lot of protein in your urine.
尿液蛋白电泳（UPEP）是医生可以用来确定尿液中是否有蛋白质的测试。它还可以帮助您的医生找出每种类型的蛋白质中存在多少。
Your doctor will usually order a UPEP test if they suspect that you have a condition that causes elevated protein levels in urine, such asmultiple myeloma或者amyloidosis.
Your doctor may also order this test if an earlier test showed there was protein in your urine. In this case, your doctor will use UPEP to monitor any treatment or disease progress.
您体内的大多数蛋白质都可以使您保持健康，可以分为两个主要群体：白蛋白和球蛋白。
Albumin is a single protein that’s found in high levels in the blood. Most globulins are produced in the liver. They include four main types of proteins:
- alpha-1 globulin
- alpha-2 globulin
- beta globulin
- 伽玛球蛋白
UPEP measures the levels of both major types of proteins in the urine.
Test preparation
Most people won’t need to take special steps to prepare for a UPEP test. However, you may need to stop taking some types of medication that can alter your test results. Examples include:
- salicylates
- chlorpromazine
- 皮质类固醇
- neomycin
- tolbutamide
在停止服药之前，请问医生。
Completing the test
To complete a UPEP test, you need to collect a small amount of urine in the container provided.
确保您的生殖区域干净。男人应该擦干阴茎的头。妇女应使用肥皂和水或抗菌擦拭来清洁外阴。如果使用肥皂，请确保将其完全冲洗掉。这样做是为了准备收集“清洁”标本。
To continue the clean-catch process, urinate a small amountbefore您开始收集样本。这有助于从尿道中抽出杂质，因此不会将其包括在样品中。
您可能最多需要收集大约2盎司的尿液。您的医生或实验室工作人员会告诉您需要多少尿液。
Different methods are used for collecting urine samples from infants. Ask your doctor about urine collection bags and how to use them on your baby.
电泳用于分析尿液样品。在此过程中，实验室技术员将尿液放在特殊类型的纸上，并应用电流。这会导致两种主要类型的蛋白质分离并在纸上创建带。
A lab technician analyzes the bands to determine if the two proteins are present in the sample and, if so, how much of them there are.
正常结果
Interpreting the test results for UPEP is fairly straightforward:
- Globulins shouldn’t be present in your urine.
- Albumin levels should be below 5 milligrams per deciliter (mg/dL).
- 任何量的球蛋白（或大于5 mg/dL的白蛋白）将被视为异常。
蛋白质水平升高
A number of conditions can lead to high levels of protein in your urine. Examples include:
- 肾功能降低或kidney failure
- inflammation(acute as opposed to chronic)
- 尿路感染(acute)
- kidney damage (may be due to a variety of causes)
- multiple myeloma(a rare type of cancer)
Your doctor may need to perform other tests to pinpoint the exact cause of abnormal protein levels.
After your doctor identifies the cause, they can provide more information about potential treatment options.
