When to see a doctor

By Mayo Clinic Staff

If a urine test reveals protein in your urine, your health care provider may ask you to have more testing done. Because protein in urine can be temporary, you may need to repeat a urine test first thing in the morning or a few days later. You also may need to do a 24-hour urine collection for lab testing.

If you have diabetes, your doctor may check for small amounts of protein in urine — also known as microalbuminuria (my-kroh-al-BYOO-mih-NU-ree-uh) — once or twice each year. Newly developing or increasing amounts of protein in your urine may be the earliest sign of diabetic kidney damage.

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March 20, 2025

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