Albuminuria

Albuminuria, the presence of albumen in the urine. This condition is met with occasionally in healthy individuals as the result of a meal consisting of some highly albuminous substance, such as eggs, but is very common in disease. Blood and pus or matter, when they occur in the urine, necessarily imply the presence of albuminuria, as these substances contain albumen. The conditions then existing are denominated haematuria and pyuria respectively. Again, in heart disease, bronchitis, and emphysema (q.v.), and other conditions involving congestion of the kidney, the urine contains albumen. In many of the specific fevers and occasionally in pregnancy the same condition obtains. Lastly, inflammation of the kidney or nephritis, and the various chronic forms of kidney affection which are included in the designation Bright's disease (q.v.), are accompanied by albuminuria, Nephritis is not uncommonly met with after scarlet fever, coming on as a rule, when it does occur, during the third week of that disease, at a period therefore when convalescence may seem well-nigh established. Moreover, such nephritis is not confined to the severe cases of scarlatina; hence the importance of careful examination of the urine after all attacks of that disease. At the commencement of such albuminuria and in most forms of acute nephritis much can be done for the patient, but if the affection be allowed to develop unrecognised, permanent damage to the kidney results. The presence of albumen in urine is usually recognised by the coagulation which is occasioned on the addition of nitric acid or the application of heat.