Blood Test for Kidney Disease Patients: 7 Key Blood Values to Check Regularly
Have you ever wondered why people who dialyze regularly are still asked to have a blood test every month, even when they feel fine?
The answer is that when the kidneys stop working properly, waste and certain minerals build up in the body very easily, and often we can't feel it until it becomes dangerous. Dialysis removes waste and excess fluid from the body, but how well it is working depends on regular blood tests, which act like a map showing whether the body is in a safe zone or not.
This article walks you through the 7 key blood values for patients with end-stage kidney disease, what each one tells us, and how to look after yourself so your numbers stay in a healthy range.
Why Do Stage 5 Kidney Disease Patients Need Regular Blood Tests?
Stage 5 kidney disease, or end-stage kidney disease, is a condition in which the kidneys have lost almost all of their function and can no longer remove waste, water and excess minerals on their own. Most patients therefore need dialysis.
Even on dialysis, the body can still fall out of balance because of diet, medication, or dialysis that isn't quite adequate. Regular blood tests help the care team to:
Adjust dialysis and medication to suit each patient's body
Catch abnormalities early, before symptoms appear
Reduce the risk of complications such as irregular heartbeat, brittle bones or anemia
7 Key Blood Values Kidney Disease Patients Need to Check
1. BUN (Blood Urea Nitrogen): Measures Waste from Protein Metabolism
BUN measures the amount of nitrogen from urea in the blood. Urea is produced when the body breaks down dietary protein. Normally, the kidneys remove urea through urine. However, when kidney function declines, the kidneys cannot filter it effectively, causing BUN levels to rise. The normal range for adults is approximately 10–20 mg/dL.
BUN provides a general indication of kidney function, but levels can fluctuate due to other factors, such as dehydration, excessive protein intake, or medication side effects. Therefore, doctors usually interpret BUN alongside creatinine levels.
Tip: Choose high-quality, easily digestible protein sources, limit hard-to-digest meats, and drink fluids according to your doctor's recommendations, as dialysis patients often need to restrict fluid intake.
2. Triglyceride: Stored Fat in the Blood
Triglycerides are fats the body stores as reserve energy. This value rises when we eat too much fat, starch and sugar. In kidney disease patients, the body often produces more fat than normal, even when they eat very little fat, so doctors commonly prescribe lipid-lowering medication.
Common reference ranges are roughly 40-160 mg/dL for men and 35-135 mg/dL for women (this may vary slightly between labs). Importantly, you need to fast for about 12-14 hours before the blood draw for an accurate result.
Tip: Choose white-meat protein such as egg whites and fish, cut back on high-fat foods, and take your lipid-lowering medication consistently.
3. Creatinine: An Indicator of Kidney Function
Creatinine is a waste product from muscle use, and it is removed only by the kidneys. It therefore reflects kidney function more accurately than BUN, because diet and the liver affect it far less. Kidney disease patients have high creatinine because the body keeps producing it at the same rate, but the kidneys clear less and less of it, so the rest builds up in the blood.
Reference ranges are roughly 0.6-1.2 mg/dL for men and 0.5-1.1 mg/dL for women. Doctors use this value to calculate eGFR, which shows what stage of kidney disease you are in. The higher the creatinine, the lower the eGFR.
Tip: Red meat is also a source of creatinine, so switch to fish, chicken, shrimp and eggs.
4. Cholesterol: Protecting Your Blood Vessels
Cholesterol is a fat-like substance. The body makes about 70% of it, while about 30% comes from food. It helps absorb fat-soluble vitamins, makes vitamin D and hormones, and is an important part of the nervous system. For adults, a healthy level is below 200 mg/dL.
When the kidneys deteriorate, the body's fat metabolism falls out of balance, so cholesterol tends to run high. This raises the risk of blocked blood vessels, which matters a great deal for dialysis patients who need healthy vessels for their dialysis access, and it also raises the risk of heart and vascular disease.
Tip: Favor plant oils, vegetables, and fruit (as your doctor allows), cut back on organ meats and fatty cuts, avoid trans fats and reused frying oil, and take lipid-lowering medication as prescribed.
5. Hct or Hematocrit: A Marker of Anemia
Hct is the proportion of red blood cells in the blood. Reference ranges are roughly 42-52% for men and 37-47% for women. Kidney disease patients are often anemic because the kidneys produce the hormone EPO, which stimulates the bone marrow to make red blood cells. When the kidneys fail, this hormone falls and red blood cells fall with it.
Doctors may give folic acid or iron, or inject EPO, and in severe anemia a blood transfusion may be needed. Left untreated for long, anemia can cause fatigue, palpitations, frequent infections and slow-healing wounds.
6. PTH (Parathyroid Hormone): The Controller of Bone and Calcium
PTH is produced by the parathyroid glands in the neck and controls calcium and bones. Dialysis patients often have high PTH, especially when blood phosphorus stays high for a long time. Failing kidneys lead to low blood calcium and less vitamin D, so the body releases more PTH and pulls calcium out of the bones, making them thin and easy to break.
The general reference range is roughly 10-65 pg/mL, but for stage 5 patients doctors usually set a higher target, around 150-300 pg/mL. Darkening skin and itching can be signs worth telling your doctor about.
Tip: Keep phosphorus well controlled and take vitamin D consistently as your doctor prescribes.
7. HbA1c (Hemoglobin A1c): Blood Sugar Over the Past 3 Months
HbA1c is the proportion of sugar attached to red blood cells, so it reflects average blood sugar over about 3 months. It is more reliable than a fasting blood sugar test, which only shows a short moment in time. Kidney disease patients who also have diabetes should watch this value alongside blood sugar, because high sugar makes the kidneys deteriorate faster.
Something to keep in mind: kidney disease patients may have fewer red blood cells or receive red-cell-boosting medication, so HbA1c can read lower than the truth, and blood sugar can drop after dialysis, causing dizziness or fainting. Talk to your doctor about a target that suits you.
Summary Table of the 7 Blood Values
Blood value | What it tells us | If abnormal, you may notice |
BUN | Waste from protein | Waste buildup, poor appetite, fatigue |
Triglyceride | Stored fat in the blood | High fat levels, vascular disease risk |
Creatinine | Kidney function (used to calculate eGFR) | High when kidneys are badly damaged |
Cholesterol | Fat in the blood | Blocked vessels, heart disease |
Hct | Anemia | Tiredness, palpitations |
PTH | Calcium and bone balance | Thin bones, itching |
HbA1c | Blood sugar over 3 months | Poor sugar control, faster kidney decline |
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Tips for Getting Better Blood Test Results
Choose Food and Fluids as Your Care Team Advises
Food is something you control every day, and it affects many values in your results. If you are unsure what you can eat, consult your care team about nutrition.
Attend Every Dialysis Session on Time and for the Full Duration
Postponing or skipping a session lets waste and fluid build up, and blood values can worsen quickly.
Take Your Medication as Prescribed
Lipid-lowering drugs, red-cell-boosting drugs and vitamin D all help keep your values in range. Don't stop or adjust them on your own.
Keep a Record of Your Blood Test Results
Writing down each month's values helps you see trends and talk to your doctor more precisely.
Keep Up Your Care With a Team That Understands
Blood tests work best when there is a team following your numbers closely and continuously. Pattaya Dialysis Clinic offers dialysis with hemodialysis machines under the standards of the Nephrology Society of Thailand, along with advice on nutrition, medication and self-care, and help managing common complications such as fluid overload, high blood pressure and anemia. In a warm, home-like atmosphere, many patients feel comforted to be dialyzing somewhere close by with attentive care.
Conclusion
Regular blood tests are the heart of caring for patients with end-stage kidney disease. The 7 values to check are BUN, triglyceride, creatinine, cholesterol, Hct, PTH and HbA1c. Once you understand what each one tells you, patients and families can look after themselves in the right way, dialyze safely, and enjoy a better quality of life.
If you or someone you love is looking for nearby dialysis with continuous follow-up of blood results, feel free to talk to Pattaya Dialysis Clinic. We are open daily from 06:00 to 20:00. Call 082-657-7699 or message us on LINE to book a slot and get an initial consultation right away.
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