KFT (Kidney Function Test) in Dehradun

What is a KFT (Kidney Function Test)?

A Kidney Function Test is a panel rather than a single measurement, and each component answers a different question. Creatinine is the anchor: produced at a steady rate by muscle and cleared only by the kidneys, it tracks filtering more faithfully than anything else in the panel, and it is the value used to calculate eGFR, the percentage of normal filtering your kidneys are managing. Urea adds context, because it rises not only with poor filtering but also with dehydration, a high-protein intake and bleeding into the gut, so the ratio between the two often reveals why a result has drifted. Uric acid reflects both kidney clearance and metabolic health. The electrolytes, sodium, potassium and chloride, show whether the kidney is still holding the body's salt and water balance, which is one of its central jobs and one of the first things to fail. Read together they distinguish a dehydrated patient from one with genuine kidney disease, something no single value can do. The panel measures function, not structure, so an ultrasound is sometimes needed alongside it.

Why take this test?

A KFT is advised for swelling of the feet, ankles or face, a change in how much or how often you pass urine, foamy urine, persistent tiredness, nausea with poor appetite, or an unpleasant taste in the mouth. It is the standard annual review for anyone living with diabetes or high blood pressure, which together cause most chronic kidney disease in India, and for anyone on long-term painkillers or medicines the kidneys clear. Doctors order it before a contrast CT scan, before surgery, and when starting certain drugs whose dose depends on kidney function. It is the panel used to stage and then monitor established kidney disease over time. The reason for testing rather than waiting is that kidney disease is typically silent: substantial function can be lost before any symptom appears, and by the time swelling or nausea arrive, damage is often well advanced.

• Swelling of the feet, ankles or face
• Passing more or less urine than usual, or foamy urine
• Diabetes or high blood pressure, as a yearly check
• Long-term painkillers or medicines cleared by the kidneys
• Before a contrast CT scan or planned surgery
• Staging and monitoring known chronic kidney disease

Normal reference ranges

Ranges are indicative for adults. Your report carries the lab-specific reference range and is reviewed by a LabONE pathologist; always interpret results with your doctor.

FAQs: KFT (Kidney Function Test) in Dehradun