Blood Urea Nitrogen Test
Welcome to this Decision Guide about a blood test called the blood urea nitrogen, commonly abbreviated as BUN.
Urea is a waste product that forms when proteins in your cells break down. The kidneys normally remove urea from the blood. However, they need plenty of fluid to do this. BUN is usually checked to evaluate kidney function or dehydration. An elevated (high) BUN is most commonly found when a person has kidney disease or is at least a little dehydrated. There are other, less common, causes. We'll get to those later if you're interested.
Now, let's get to your test results.
What was your BUN result?
Source: from Harvard Health Decision Guides, Harvard Health Publications, Copyright © August 2010 by President and Fellows of Harvard College. All rights reserved. Used with permission of StayWell.