BUN in a blood test stands for Blood Urea Nitrogen. It measures the amount of urea nitrogen in your blood, which is a waste product formed when your liver breaks down proteins. Urea nitrogen travels through the bloodstream to your kidneys, which filter it out and remove it from your body through urine
. The BUN test is primarily used to assess how well your kidneys are functioning. Healthy kidneys filter out most of the urea nitrogen, so only a small amount remains in the blood. If the kidneys are not working properly, BUN levels in the blood will be higher than normal
. High BUN levels can indicate kidney damage or disease, dehydration, heart failure, or gastrointestinal bleeding. Low BUN levels may suggest liver disease or malnutrition
. The test usually involves drawing a blood sample from a vein, often in the arm, and normal BUN values typically range from about 6 to 20 mg/dL, though this can vary by lab
. In summary, BUN reflects kidney health by measuring the waste product urea nitrogen in the blood, helping diagnose kidney problems and monitor treatment
