Hello,
I have read the various brochures about UPEP and looked for answers online, but I can't determine what my UPEP results mean. I read that you should not have albumin or globulins in the results, but there is no indication in the results that these readings are abnormal.
Also, it says " negative for monoclonal light chains", does that mean Bence Jones or a paraprotein spike? Why isn't there a reference to an M Spike? If anyone has had a recent UPEP and can assist, I'd appreciate it. J
Component Value Range & Units Status
Tot Prot, Ur Random 6 mg/dl Final
Tot Prot, 24h Calc. 110 <150 mg/24hr Final
Albumin, Urine 39.2 % Final
Globulins, Urine 60.8 % Final
Comments Final
Electrophoresis screening performed, immunofixation to follow.
Immunofixation,Urine Interpretation: Final
Comment: Negative for free monoclonal light chains.
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jhorner - Name: Magpie
- Who do you know with myeloma?: Myself
- When were you/they diagnosed?: 2013
- Age at diagnosis: 49
Re: Understanding UPEP results
So, just to double check, this was a random (spot) urine check, not a 24-hour urine collection and test?
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JimNY
Re: Understanding UPEP results
Hey JHorner,
First off I'm not a doc. Second, I've only had one UPEP done (at my request), and my doc and I didn't discuss it much since he doesn't see much value in them for my particular situation.
As I understand it, "Negative for monoclonal free light chains" in one's urine means negative for the Bence-Jones m-protein component (m-spike as measured by a UPEP).
The total protein value measures all proteins in your urine (albumin, globulins, etc). Yeah, there is ideally supposed to be no protein in one's urine, but having a bit of protein in one's urine (proteinuria) is not that big of a deal, at least from what I understand.
Was there a UPEP measurement that indicated the albumin / creatinine ratio or an additional measurement for just creatinine in your urine? When the urine albumin / creatinine ratio (UACR) gets over 30 mg/g (30 mg of albumin per gram of creatinine), then one starts to get concerned about potential kidney issues and gets re-tested ... at least that is what I remember.
If you are at all concerned about your kidney health, you can always go back and do a quick check of your serum BUN and serum creatinine levels to see if they are looking good.
Again, check all this with your doc. Understanding UPEP results is not my strong suit.
First off I'm not a doc. Second, I've only had one UPEP done (at my request), and my doc and I didn't discuss it much since he doesn't see much value in them for my particular situation.
As I understand it, "Negative for monoclonal free light chains" in one's urine means negative for the Bence-Jones m-protein component (m-spike as measured by a UPEP).
The total protein value measures all proteins in your urine (albumin, globulins, etc). Yeah, there is ideally supposed to be no protein in one's urine, but having a bit of protein in one's urine (proteinuria) is not that big of a deal, at least from what I understand.
Was there a UPEP measurement that indicated the albumin / creatinine ratio or an additional measurement for just creatinine in your urine? When the urine albumin / creatinine ratio (UACR) gets over 30 mg/g (30 mg of albumin per gram of creatinine), then one starts to get concerned about potential kidney issues and gets re-tested ... at least that is what I remember.
If you are at all concerned about your kidney health, you can always go back and do a quick check of your serum BUN and serum creatinine levels to see if they are looking good.
Again, check all this with your doc. Understanding UPEP results is not my strong suit.
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Multibilly - Name: Multibilly
- Who do you know with myeloma?: Me
- When were you/they diagnosed?: Smoldering, Nov, 2012
Re: Understanding UPEP results
Thanks JimNY. This was a 24 hour urine UPEP and it was performed as part of a neurological study that I think was intended to determine if there is any amyloid.
Multibilly, There is no creatinine measurement with the results. I pasted the entire report. How much protein in the urine is acceptable do you think? I had my BUN and creatinine done in February and the results are:
BUN = 20
Creatinine = 0.84
Calcium = 10.5
Thank you
j
Multibilly, There is no creatinine measurement with the results. I pasted the entire report. How much protein in the urine is acceptable do you think? I had my BUN and creatinine done in February and the results are:
BUN = 20
Creatinine = 0.84
Calcium = 10.5
Thank you
j
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jhorner - Name: Magpie
- Who do you know with myeloma?: Myself
- When were you/they diagnosed?: 2013
- Age at diagnosis: 49
Re: Understanding UPEP results
Jhorner,
Remembering that I'm not a doc, it appears that you are in what is considered to be the normal range of protein excretion (110mg/24hr, where "normal" is anything less than 150 mg/24hr) . But your doc is really the person that needs to comment on this.
Regarding your BUN, creatinine, and calcium levels, note that you should always include the reference ranges and units of measure for your lab values. If I use the acceptable reference ranges from my lab for the creatinine and BUN levels, you are also within normal ranges for those markers. But, based on my lab's reference range for calcium (8.5 - 10.1 mg/dL), you may be slightly high on your calcium, so you might want to keep an eye on that marker? Hypercalcemia for symptomatic myeloma is defined as having a serum calcium level of > 11 mg/dl or 1 mg/dl above the upper limit of what is normal on your lab printout.
With any of your key markers (M-spike, FLCs, calcium, immunoglobulins, creatinine, hemoglobin, etc), I think it's always good to plot the values of these markers over time so that you can figure out if there are longer term trends that may be occurring or just one-time pops based on lab error and / or some other factor.
Hope this helps a bit.
Remembering that I'm not a doc, it appears that you are in what is considered to be the normal range of protein excretion (110mg/24hr, where "normal" is anything less than 150 mg/24hr) . But your doc is really the person that needs to comment on this.
Regarding your BUN, creatinine, and calcium levels, note that you should always include the reference ranges and units of measure for your lab values. If I use the acceptable reference ranges from my lab for the creatinine and BUN levels, you are also within normal ranges for those markers. But, based on my lab's reference range for calcium (8.5 - 10.1 mg/dL), you may be slightly high on your calcium, so you might want to keep an eye on that marker? Hypercalcemia for symptomatic myeloma is defined as having a serum calcium level of > 11 mg/dl or 1 mg/dl above the upper limit of what is normal on your lab printout.
With any of your key markers (M-spike, FLCs, calcium, immunoglobulins, creatinine, hemoglobin, etc), I think it's always good to plot the values of these markers over time so that you can figure out if there are longer term trends that may be occurring or just one-time pops based on lab error and / or some other factor.
Hope this helps a bit.
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Multibilly - Name: Multibilly
- Who do you know with myeloma?: Me
- When were you/they diagnosed?: Smoldering, Nov, 2012
Re: Understanding UPEP results
Hello from sunny Seattle!
Bence Jones proteins are monoclonal light-chain proteins (kappa or lambda) found in the urine.
The term "Bence Jones proteins" is somewhat confusing and hails from older forms of testing that were used to look for light chains in the urine. There is no difference between monoclonal free light chains found in the urine and Bence Jones proteins – they are one and the same. The presence of Bence Jones proteins or monoclonal free light chains in the urine is an abnormal finding.
An M-spike was looked for in your urine when they did the electrophoresis and immunofixation of the urine. The findings were negative.
Your results are very clear. You do not have monoclonal light chains (these could be called Bence Jones proteins as well) in your urine. Your urine testing (UPEP) was normal.
Bence Jones proteins are monoclonal light-chain proteins (kappa or lambda) found in the urine.
The term "Bence Jones proteins" is somewhat confusing and hails from older forms of testing that were used to look for light chains in the urine. There is no difference between monoclonal free light chains found in the urine and Bence Jones proteins – they are one and the same. The presence of Bence Jones proteins or monoclonal free light chains in the urine is an abnormal finding.
An M-spike was looked for in your urine when they did the electrophoresis and immunofixation of the urine. The findings were negative.
Your results are very clear. You do not have monoclonal light chains (these could be called Bence Jones proteins as well) in your urine. Your urine testing (UPEP) was normal.
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Dr. Edward Libby - Name: Edward Libby, M.D.
Beacon Medical Advisor
6 posts
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