How to Read Your Kidney Report: A 60-Second Guide to KFT Normal Ranges and Results

Your kidney report is not as complicated as it looks. Three things tell you almost everything: your creatinine, your eGFR, and the protein level in your urine. Get those three right, and you know where your kidneys stand.

What does a kidney report actually tell you?

A kidney report, commonly called a KFT (Kidney Function Test) or RFT (Renal Function Test), provides an overview of how effectively the kidneys are filtering waste, maintaining mineral balance, and preventing protein leakage. Most reports include three key components: a blood test, a urine examination, and, in some cases, a kidney ultrasound. The blood test evaluates how efficiently the kidneys are clearing waste from the body, the urine test detects protein leakage that may indicate filter damage, and the ultrasound assesses the structural health of the kidney tissue itself.

Kidney Function Test Normal Range: The Numbers That Matter

Here are the core markers in any KFT and what their normal values mean:

Test	Normal Range	What It Flags
Creatinine	0.6–1.2 mg/dL (men) 0.5–1.1 mg/dL (women)	Muscle waste product. High = kidneys not filtering well.
BUN (Urea)	7–20 mg/dL (urea: 15–45 mg/dL)	Protein waste. Elevated BUN with high creatinine confirms kidney issue.
eGFR	90 or higher	Filtration rate. Below 60 = possible CKD. Higher is better.
Potassium	3.5–5.0 mEq/L	Abnormal levels are dangerous for heart and nerve function.
Sodium	135–145 mEq/L	Controls fluid balance and blood pressure.
uACR (Urine albumin)	Less than 30 mg/g	Protein leakage. Higher = kidney damage. Lower is better.

 

How to read your eGFR (glomerular filtration rate)

eGFR is the single most important number in your kidney report, it tells you what percentage of normal filtration capacity your kidneys still have. Most reports include it directly, but if yours doesn't, you can calculate it yourself using your creatinine value.

Your creatinine is always listed first. Once you have it, plug it into a validated eGFR calculator along with your age, gender, and race, these four inputs together give a far more accurate picture than creatinine alone. Two people with identical creatinine readings can have very different eGFR scores purely based on age.

• 90 or above - normal kidney function
• 60–89 - mildly reduced; monitor regularly
• Below 60 for 3+ months - possible CKD; see a nephrologist
• Below 15 - kidney failure; dialysis or transplant is considered

The higher your eGFR, the better. A value closer to 100 means your kidneys are filtering as expected for your age.

Urine examination results: What protein levels mean

A healthy kidney holds protein inside the blood. When it starts to fail, protein leaks into urine. Here's how to read your urine report:

• Nil or 0 - Normal. (No leakage.)
• Trace or <1+ - Borderline. (Could be dehydration or a fever. Retest in 2-4 weeks.)
• 1+ or above - Significant. (A 24-hour urine protein test or uACR is needed to measure the damage.)

Persistent protein in the urine should not be ignored, even if creatinine levels are normal, as it may indicate early kidney damage. 

Your kidney ultrasound report: Echogenicity explained

A kidney ultrasound checks size, shape, and tissue texture, things no blood test can reveal. A normal adult kidney measures roughly 95 - 120 mm in length. The reading to watch is echogenicity:

• Normal echogenicity - uniform, consistent tissue texture. Nothing to flag.
• Grade 1 echogenic changes - mild scarring or early fat deposition in the kidney tissue.
• Grade 2 echogenic changes - more advanced structural damage.

At Grade 2, medical evaluation by a nephrologist is strongly recommended, as structural kidney damage may appear before major changes become visible in blood test results. 

If your creatinine is high, your eGFR is low, or protein keeps showing up in your urine, don't wait. Kidney damage caught at Stage 1 or 2 is largely reversible, caught at Stage 4, your options narrow fast. Book a nephrology consultation early and bring your full report, blood test, urine examination, and ultrasound together to give a far more complete picture than any single result alone.

Frequently Asked Questions (FAQs)