Urea-to-creatinine ratio
Medical laboratory value / From Wikipedia, the free encyclopedia
Dear Wikiwand AI, let's keep it short by simply answering these key questions:
Can you list the top facts and stats about BUN-to-creatinine ratio?
Summarize this article for a 10 year old
In medicine, the urea-to-creatinine ratio (UCR[1]), known in the United States as BUN-to-creatinine ratio, is the ratio of the blood levels of urea (BUN) (mmol/L) and creatinine (Cr) (μmol/L). BUN only reflects the nitrogen content of urea (MW 28) and urea measurement reflects the whole of the molecule (MW 60), urea is just over twice BUN (60/28 = 2.14). In the United States, both quantities are given in mg/dL The ratio may be used to determine the cause of acute kidney injury or dehydration.
The principle behind this ratio is the fact that both urea (BUN) and creatinine are freely filtered by the glomerulus; however, urea reabsorbed by the renal tubules can be regulated (increased or decreased) whereas creatinine reabsorption remains the same (minimal reabsorption).