What is uACR?
uACR stands for urine albumin-to-creatinine ratio. It’s a simple urine test that measures small amounts of a protein called albumin in your urine. When your kidneys are healthy, they keep albumin in your blood. But when the kidneys are under stress or damaged, albumin can leak into your urine.
Why This Test Matters for Your Heart
Even small amounts of albumin in your urine can be an early sign that your blood vessels are under strain. This doesn’t just affect your kidneys — it can reflect changes in blood vessels throughout your body, including those that support your heart.
Because of this, an elevated uACR is considered an early warning marker for higher risk of heart disease, heart attacks, and strokes.
The test can detect these changes years before symptoms appear, giving you and your healthcare provider valuable time to act and protect your long-term heart and kidney health.
A Simple Test That Can Be Overlooked
Despite its importance, the uACR test is sometimes overlooked in routine care. It’s a simple urine test, just like the one you may already do at your doctor’s visits, but it provides crucial information about your cardiovascular risk.
The test is quick, non-invasive, and painless. You simply provide a urine sample, and the lab measures the amount of albumin and creatinine in it to calculate your urine albumin-to-creatinine ratio (uACR).
Important: Standard Care for At-Risk Patients
For people at risk, uACR testing should be part of standard care and monitored regularly to protect heart health.
Who Should Get Tested?
You should talk to your doctor about regular uACR testing if you have:
- Diabetes (Type 1 or Type 2)
- High blood pressure (hypertension)
- Heart disease or a history of cardiovascular problems
- Chronic kidney disease
- A family history of kidney disease or heart disease
Early Detection = Better Outcomes
Take Action Today
When an elevated uACR is detected early, you and your healthcare team can take steps to reduce your risk. This may include medications, lifestyle changes such as diet and physical activity, improved blood sugar control, or managing blood pressure. Together, these interventions can help lower your risk of heart attacks, strokes, and other cardiovascular events.
If you have any of the risk factors listed above, ask your doctor about getting a uACR test. This simple test could provide life-saving information about your heart health.
Don’t let this important test be overlooked. Your heart health depends on it.
Questions to Ask Your Doctor:
- Should I be getting a uACR test based on my risk factors?
- How often should I have this test done?
- What is my current uACR level?
- If my uACR is elevated, what steps can we take to protect my heart and kidneys?
References: 1. American Diabetes Association. Standards of Medical Care in Diabetes—2023. Diabetes Care. 2023;46(Suppl 1):S1-S291. 2. Kidney Disease: Improving Global Outcomes (KDIGO). KDIGO 2024 Clinical Practice Guideline for the Evaluation and Management of Chronic Kidney Disease. Kidney Int. 2024;105(4S):S1-S159. 3. Matsushita K, van der Velde M, Astor BC, et al. Association of estimated glomerular filtration rate and albuminuria with all-cause and cardiovascular mortality in general population cohorts: a collaborative meta-analysis. Lancet. 2010;375(9731):2073-2081. 4. Gerstein HC, Mann JF, Yi Q, et al. Albuminuria and risk of cardiovascular events, death, and heart failure in diabetic and nondiabetic individuals. JAMA. 2001;286(4):421-426.
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This disease‑awareness educational content was developed independently by What to Know, LLC, with financial support from Boehringer Ingelheim.