Urine protein/creatinine ratio is a widely used initial method to estimate daily protein excretion in urine. [1] [2] [3] Since the diagnosis and management of proteinuric diseases, many of which affect the renal system, and the staging of chronic kidney disease depend on accurate identification and quantitation of proteinuria, [4] [1] the implementation of the 24-hour urine collection is the most accurate procedure in practice to figure out the urinary protein excretion. [1] However, in current clinical practice, the urine protein/creatinine ratio is widely used to estimate daily protein excretion by virtue of its convenience and simplicity. [5] [1]
The difference between urine protein/creatinine ratio and 24-hour urine collection is that the former requires a urine sample to be collected only once at any time. [6] [Creatinine(U)] is taken into account due to the notion that creatinine is normally released into the urine at a constant rate. [6] Scientists found that the ratio of protein to creatinine roughly estimates the actual value gained from the 24-hour urine protein test. [6] The normal urine protein/creatinine ratio is less than 200 mg/g. [7]