BUN

A BUN, or blood urea nitrogen test, measures the amount of urea nitrogen in your blood. Urea nitrogen is a waste product that forms as your body breaks down proteins. It's carried in your blood and then removed by your kidneys when you urinate (pee).

A BUN test is often part of a series of tests called a comprehensive metabolic panel (CMP). It can help diagnose or monitor kidney diseases.

Source: MedlinePlus, U.S. National Library of Medicine

Normal range

5 published ranges, each from a named source

820 mg/dL drawn: all ages · American Board of Internal Medicine (Laboratory Test Reference Ranges)

Normal: 8–20 mg/dL
Female · 18 y+: 6–21 mg/dL
Male · 18 y+: 8–24 mg/dL

Ranges from American Board of Internal Medicine (Laboratory Test Reference Ranges), Mayo Clinic Laboratories (Pediatric Test Catalog).

All source ranges (5)

Source	Sex	Age	Range
American Board of Internal Medicine (Laboratory Test Reference Ranges)	All	all ages	8–20 mg/dL
Mayo Clinic Laboratories (Pediatric Test Catalog)	Female	1 y – 17 y	7–20 mg/dL
Mayo Clinic Laboratories (Pediatric Test Catalog)	Female	18 y+	6–21 mg/dL
Mayo Clinic Laboratories (Pediatric Test Catalog)	Male	1 y – 17 y	7–20 mg/dL
Mayo Clinic Laboratories (Pediatric Test Catalog)	Male	18 y+	8–24 mg/dL

What an abnormal result can be associated with

A high result: Increased blood urea nitrogen
A low result: Reduced blood urea nitrogen

Associations from LOINC2HPO (Human Phenotype Ontology). This is reference information, not a diagnosis: only a clinician can interpret your result in context.

details

Sample: Serum or plasma · LOINC
Part of: Basic metabolic panel · Comprehensive metabolic panel · Renal function panel
Code: LOINC 3094-0 · mg/dL
Also known as: Urea nitrogen, BUN, UN, N2, Nit

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