Proteinuria in children

Although the American Academy of Pediatrics (AAP) removed the screening urinalysis from its health supervision guidelines in 2007, the use of the urinalysis remains an important part of pediatric care. Thus, the incidental finding of proteinuria is still commonplace when a urine sample is collected for various complaints, such as fever and abdominal pain. Knowing when to reassure a patient with proteinuria versus when to perform additional testing is a situation that general practitioners face regularly, but also one that not all may be comfortable dealing with due to the possibility of missing a diagnosis. In addition, proteinuria in certain conditions can signify renal disease and worse outcomes, so general practitioners should know how to screen and interpret the results. Understanding the common benign and pathological causes of proteinuria helps medical providers to better inform and treat their patients, and possibly avoid unnecessary additional testing or subspecialty referrals.